Australian authorities and Interpol are pursuing a man who is thought to be responsible for a significant narcotics smuggling enterprise in Bali.
The individual, known only as “Mr. A,” is accused of bringing drugs into Bali with a street value of $5 million.
On April 12, Balinese police searched his Kuta villa and discovered 35 kg of meth, 32 kg of cocaine, 800 ecstasy tablets, and 2.6 kg of marijuana.
Around the time his villa was raided, “Mr. A” fled the area hastily, leaving his belongings behind.
According to the Daily Telegraph, three Indonesian nationals were detained by police at the property after they admitted to working for the Australian guy.
Standing beside the cache of drugs that were found inside the property, the three was paraded for the media while being shackled and clad in jail jumpsuits.
Following the taking of pictures and documentation of the evidence, the drugs were then destroyed by the police in compliance with Indonesian law.
The three men allegedly “facilitated” the Australian man’s activities at his villa, according to the police.
The local journalists, who saw the drugs being burned, were informed of the specifics of the arrest by Bali police director of drug investigations Kombes Pol Mochamad Khozin.
The search was conducted following the April 12, 2022, arrest of three Indonesian citizens with the initials AAP, KMS, and KS in one of the villas in Kuta, he claimed.
Police, according to Detective Khozen, “knew” who “Mr. A” was. He said that the fugitive’s name began with a “A” and that he was “about 32 years old.”
He continued, “We have worked with Interpol to find this perpetrator.”
Despite detectives storming the property almost two months ago, Bali police have just now made information about the case public.
The police were informed that the Australian man was reportedly bringing in 50kg of crystal meth.
Some of the harshest drug prohibitions in the world are found in Indonesia.
Criminals who are found guilty of bringing in significant amounts of drugs risk being executed by firing squad.
Bali police were unsure if the wanted Australian was trying to smuggle the drugs offshore or if he was merely storing them at his villa before trying to sell them in Bali.