British, Japanese Citizens Arrested in Foiled Drug Smuggling Attempt

Jakarta Globe, November 15, 2010

Customs officials at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport displaying the drugs seized from the three suspects, who have been identified as Morita Yukifrom from Japan, right; Khuram Antonio Khan Garcia from Britain, center; and Indonesian Yan Zacharia Santosa. (Antara Photo)

Denpasar. Customs officials at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport have arrested three men, including a British and a Japanese citizen, and seized 9.1 kilograms of narcotics in what are believed to be linked smuggling attempts.

“The first suspect we arrested was Khuram Antonio Khan Garcia, 39, a British citizen, after he arrived at the airport on Sunday night,” said Bagus Endro Wibowo, a customs official at the airport.

Garcia was arrested after he disembarked from a Qatar Airways plane at around 8 p.m. According to Bagus, the suspect triggered suspicion because he appeared pale and fidgety.

“Our officers took him to the special investigation room and found 3.1 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine,” Bagus said. “He had hidden the meth in the lining of his suitcase.”

Garcia reportedly then gave investigators the names of his two accomplices. Police picked up Yan Zacharia Santosa, 31, from Jakarta, who was staying at a hotel in Bali.

“Yan Zacharia Santosa was supposed to receive the smuggled drugs. He had been in Bali since November 12,” Bagus said.

The second man named by Garcia, a Japanese citizen identified as Morita Yuki, 35, was arrested after he arrived on a flight from Bangkok later on Sunday night.

Customs officials found six kilograms of hashish inside the suspect's suitcase.

All three suspects will be handed over to the Bali Police's Narcotics Division today. 

Antara