In the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 1, Ngurah Rai International Airport authorities flagged two pieces of luggage belonging to a Brazilian citizen, a 19-year-old identified by her initials MVDAF, who said she arrived in Bali to hone her surfing skills.
The luggage, as it turned out, contained approximately 3 kilograms of cocaine.
Bali Police Chief Gen. Putu Jayan Danu Putra told reporters yesterday that MVDAF arrived at the airport at approximately 3am on New Year’s Day with Qatar Airways.
The airport’s customs officers searched the two pieces of luggage, which were registered under her name, and found two packages of cocaine weighing 990 grams and 637 grams in one as well as three bags of cocaine weighing 891 grams, 711 grams, and 379 grams in the other.
Bali Police Drug Enforcement Unit Chief Iwan Eka Putra said that they suspect the Brazilian woman was duped by a drug network in her country as she told the police that she had no knowledge about the packages.
“We can’t say that she is a courier because she did not know about [the drugs],” he said, adding that surfing is known to be the Brazilian woman’s hobby.
“She was promised free surfing school [sessions] by her friend in her neighborhood and that was why she brought [the luggage].”
According to a police statement received by Coconuts Bali, the Florianopolis resident may face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment if she’s found guilty of drug trafficking.
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