Briton, German arrested at Bali’s airport in drug cases

BALI, Indonesia – Indonesian customs officials said Thursday they have arrested two foreigners accused of attempting to smuggle drugs onto the tourist island of Bali.

Customs chief Himawan Indarjono said British citizen Adam Scott and German Siegfried Karl Achim Ruckel were arrested late last month at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport.

He said officers seized a bottle with 655 Diazepam tablets, also known as Valium, from Scott, a computer analyst who arrived from Bangkok on Jan. 24. The amount, which was not reported on his customs declaration, was judged to be more than he needed for personal use.

He said Scott is suspected of violating the Customs and Psychotropic laws, under which he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $22,000 if found guilty.

Another customs official, Husni Syaiful, said Ruckel arrived two days later from Doha and possessed 7 grams (0.25 ounces) of heroin, 0.2 grams (0.01 ounces) of amphetamine and 15.3 grams (0.54 ounces) of morphine.

If found guilty, Ruckel could face up to a death sentence and a fine of up to $730,000.

Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed. Eighteen convicts, mostly foreigners, have been executed under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who took office in October 2014 and declared a war on illegal drugs.

More than 150 people are currently on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About one-third of them are foreigners.