A Russian national was arrested in Bali’s tourist hub of Kuta in April for allegedly dealing cocaine.
The Russian, identified by Merdeka as Vladimir Rybnokov Aleksandrovich, 24, was apprehended by Kuta Police in front of the Miranda Star Shop on Jl. Majapahit on April 27 with three packets of cocaine in his pant pocket, police announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
From there, police searched the Russian man’s accommodation at Bali View Apartment on Jl. Nakula, Legian, where they found a book with two more plastic packets containing cocaine inside.
Kuta Police Comr. I Nyoman Wirajaya said that the cocaine confiscated from Aleksandrovich ended up being five packets: four grams in total.
The Russian had been living in Bali for a number of years and had overstayed his visa, police said.
“He appears to be a dealer. He has been in Bali for almost six years and has overstayed. His work is unclear. He confessed to buying from local people here, but he does not want to honestly say where exactly he got the goods,” Wirajaya said.
Police estimate the value of the drugs lifted off of Aleksandrovich to equal around IDR2.5 million (US$180).
The Russian will be charged with violating Law no. 35 year 2009, which carries a minimum sentence of four years prison and a maximum of 12 years, according to Wirajaya.
The commissioner said police are still investigating the Russian though, trying to deepen their understanding of the supply network that Aleksandrovich had been connected to.
