Cocaine Smuggling Bust at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport: Chilean Tourists Arrested, Foreign Mastermind Sought

Bali's National Narcotics Agency (BNNP Bali) announced on October 16, 2026, that it had detained two Chilean tourists (initials J and B) and one Indonesian national (HU) in connection with an alleged attempt to smuggle cocaine through Ngurah Rai International Airport. Authorities say they are still pursuing a foreign suspect believed to be the operation's ringleader.

The case came to light on October 3 at around 4:00 PM local time, when X-ray screening at the international arrivals terminal flagged suspicious contents in two backpacks carried by J and B. The pair had arrived on Jetstar flight JQ43 from Melbourne, having previously traveled from Santiago, Chile, via LATAM Airlines flight LA805. Both had entered Bali as tourists.

Inspectors found four black plastic packages containing white powder concealed in false compartments built into the backs of the bags. J's bag contained packages weighing a total of 2,284.5 grams, while B's bag held 2,310 grams, bringing the total seized to approximately 4.59 kilograms of suspected cocaine.

During the investigation, two travel drivers who had picked up the tourists at the hotel's request were briefly questioned but were cleared as witnesses with no involvement. Acting BNNP Bali chief Commissioner Stevy Frits Pattiasina stated that authorities are continuing to search for a foreign national suspected of coordinating the smuggling, adding that the suspects are strongly believed to be part of an international drug trafficking network.