Alleged French ‘professional drug courier’ arrested in Lombok, facing charges carrying death penalty

Lombok’s Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport. Photo: Arief Rahman Saan/Wikimedia Commons
Lombok’s Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport. Photo: Arief Rahman Saan/Wikimedia Commons

A Frenchman who Indonesian police are referring to as a “professional drug courier” has been slapped with drug trafficking charges carrying the death penalty.

French national Dorfin Felix was arrested upon arrival, allegedly carrying IDR3.2 billion (US$212,597) worth of drugs, at Lombok’s Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) police investigators told the press on Monday.

NTB Regional Police Dir. Comr. Yus Fadillah says that the 35-year-old Frenchman has previously entered Indonesia a number of times.

“We started by inspecting his passport document. This was to trace his trail, showing he came to Indonesia four times,” Yus said, as quoted by Antara News.

“Previously, he came to Indonesia several times by entering Bali, and Lombok once before this,” Yus explained.

Felix, however, claims his prior trips to Indonesia were just for vacation and that this is his first time carrying drugs.

“Even though he has only admitted to bringing drugs once, we are still clearly looking into the information,” Yus said.

For this job, in which he was busted, Dorfin told investigators he would have received EUR5,000.

“He claimed that he was asked to come to Lombok and immediately hand over the goods at a hotel in Senggigi. Who should receive it, we are still investigating. What is clear, is that the person is a local, Indonesian,” Yus said.

Police are still investigating the operation and network, but Felix has already been detained and named as a suspect, according to Yus. 

Felix is subject to three separate counts in violation of Law no. 35/2009 concerning Narcotics: Article 113, paragraph 2; Article 114 paragraph 2; and Article 112, paragraph 2.

“Because it’s import, we consider Article 113, paragraph 2,” Yus said, citing the most severe of the three charges, which is drug trafficking.

Two of the charges do carry a maximum penalty of death, but it’s not yet clear whether prosecutors will seek capital punishment. 

From his arrest at Lombok’s airport, officers secured drugs with an overall weight of 3,194.57 grams from Felix’s suitcase, in the form of crystal fragments, powders, and pills.

The drugs were later revealed to be MDMA, ketamine, a yellow powdered amphetamine, and ecstasy.

Before police detained him, the Frenchman apparently tried to flee through the airport exit and ditch his luggage when Customs wanted to more thoroughly inspect his bags. 

But he was secured by airport security before he could get away, and even after the Frenchman was detained, he allegedly attempted suicide.

“He said, ‘Better I die now than shot if sentenced to death.’ He even had the chance to bang his head on the examination table at the Mataram Customs Office. He was classified as reckless, so we have guarded him tightly,” Mataram Customs daily acting director I Wayan Tapamuka said on Monday, as quoted by the Tribun network.



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