Russian drug suspects arrested on resort island after vehicle in high-speed chase hits pedestrians, officials say

Indonesian authorities arrested two Russian nationals suspected of smuggling drugs into Bali after a high-speed car chase hit several pedestrians on the popular resort island, officials said on Sunday.

The 52-year-old woman and 40-year-old man were arrested after trying to smuggle close to eight kilograms (18 pounds) of hashish in a suitcase from Thailand, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) said in a statement.

“We have seized the evidence, 7.8 kilograms of hashish,” BNN chief Suyudi Ario Seto said.

The woman, identified by her initials “KK,” arrived in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport before driving to Bali in a rental vehicle to meet the man at a seaport on Friday.

The agency said the man, identified by his initials “SK,” picked up the woman and dropped her, along with the case, at an unidentified location before attempting to flee.

Officials pursued the man and said he “drove the vehicle at very high speed and recklessly, even hitting several local residents” before being stopped by authorities.

Both were taken into custody on Friday, the agency said without providing further details. BNN posted images of the suspects as well as a photograph of the suitcase holding the purported drugs.

An investigation to determine whether the pair are part of a larger syndicate is underway, BNN said.

Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, but has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years.

There are dozens of traffickers on death row. Indonesia last carried out the death sentence in 2016, when one Indonesian and three Nigerians convicted of drug offences were executed by firing squad.

In December 2024, Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines. It also sent the five remaining members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring, who were serving heavy prison sentences, back to Australia.

Two British men were sentenced in March to nine and 11 years in prison respectively after they were found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Bali.

Last August, a Peruvian woman was arrested in Bali after allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine into the resort island using a sex toy and hiding drugs in her underwear.