Police in Bali arrested a husband and wife for transporting marijuana around the island, with the couple claiming they were forced into a life of crime due to financial hardships.
The couple, under the initials IDR and NA, had their shared home raided by the police on Aug. 12 in Renon, Denpasar. Police confiscated 283 grams of weed stored in 15 plastic pouches as evidence from the site.
In a press briefing about the case yesterday, Denpasar Police Chief Bambang Yugo Pamungkas explained that the couple had worked together as drug couriers for less than a year.
The suspects’ job was to drop off the promised goods at a specified location for the customer to pick up later on. Couriers don’t get to meet customers face-to-face.
The pair followed the orders of the drug dealer, who is located in North Sumatra. Bambang explains that the small doses of weed were sold around Denpasar and Kuta, and the couple were given IDR50,000 (US$3.37) after every drop-off. They said they delivered two to three packets a day.
IDR and NA each face up to 12 years in prison for drug trafficking.
This month alone, Denpasar Police’s Narcotics Unit have made 26 drug-related arrests, confiscating 1.3 kilograms of weed, 170.5 grams of crystal meth, 10 pieces of ecstasy, and 29.29 grams of gorilla tobacco as evidence.
