BNN’s acting Deputy for Eradication, Brigadier General Roy Hardi Siahaan, told a press conference in Gianyar on Saturday that the female suspect, identified by the initials NT, allegedly used several travel documents.
“Documents found in the room during the raid included three passports. The first passport bears the name N and was used in Russia,” Roy said.
He said the other two passports also displayed the suspect’s photograph but carried different identities.
All the documents are now being reviewed together with immigration authorities to determine their authenticity.
“All were issued by the Russian government, with one confirmed as the genuine passport used to enter Indonesia,” Roy said.
Roy added that NT was known to have entered Indonesia in January 2026.
Before NT, a man identified only as S was believed to be involved in the network and is currently being pursued by authorities to be placed on the wanted list.
In carrying out the operation, the suspect used several methods to avoid detection by law enforcement officers.
Besides frequently moving between villas, she also used different identities when ordering chemicals needed for narcotics production.
“The modus operandi was not only moving from villa to villa but also using different identities for shipping goods, so the packages were not sent under her real name,” Roy said.
Imported from China
Investigators found several precursor chemicals used in production were imported from overseas, mainly China, without using the suspect’s real identity. Two main substances used to produce mephedrone — methylamine and hydrobromic acid — were also ordered from China.
The chemicals were used as key components to manufacture the synthetic drug mephedrone, classified as a Category I narcotic under Indonesia’s 2009 Narcotics Law and a 2025 Health Ministry regulation.
During a raid at a villa in The Lavana De’Bale Marcapada complex in Pering Village, Blahbatuh Subdistrict, Gianyar District, on Thursday, officers uncovered the clandestine laboratory used to produce the drug.
Evidence seized included mephedrone in liquid and crystal form with a combined weight of about 7.3 kilograms. Forensic laboratory tests confirmed the substances were mephedrone.
Roy said the amount was believed to be the largest seizure of mephedrone ever recorded in Indonesia.
He added that it was also the first time the BNN had uncovered a clandestine laboratory producing mephedrone.
BNN’s Interdiction Director, Syarif Hidayat, said the case began when customs officers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport detected shipments of chemicals arriving from overseas.
Officers at the Cengkareng main customs office identified two packages declared as pigments destined for delivery to Bali.
Laboratory analysis later showed the substances were precursors used in the production of mephedrone.
The chemicals were identified as valerophenone and 4-methylpropiophenone, both key components in synthesizing the drug.
The discovery prompted coordination between customs authorities and the BNN to monitor the shipment and track the recipient’s activities in Bali.
Officers then conducted surveillance at the delivery destination before uncovering the drug laboratory and seizing various chemicals and laboratory equipment.
Bali Immigration Office
Ngurah Rai Immigration Office Head Bugie Kurniawan said his office assisted the investigation after receiving information about a foreign national being tracked by authorities.
Immigration officials then reviewed the suspect’s travel records and residency permit status. At the time, the suspect happened to be applying for an extension of her stay permit.
Officers arranged a scenario to invite the suspect to the immigration office for administrative purposes.
A joint team was already on standby to identify the suspect and continue surveillance.
Through that process, authorities were able to trace the suspect’s activities and ultimately uncover the drug laboratory operating in Gianyar.
Related news: Indonesia’s BNN busts Russian-run mephedrone lab in Bali
Related news: Bali immigration has deported ex-Russian drug convict: official
Translator: Rolandus N, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2026
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