A Peruvian woman has been arrested in Bali after authorities accused her of attempting to smuggle cocaine concealed inside a sex toy and hidden in her underwear. She could face the death penalty if convicted under Indonesia’s strict narcotics laws.
Police said Tuesday that the 42-year-old, identified by her initials N.S., was stopped at Bali’s international airport on August 12 after customs officers became suspicious of her behavior when she arrived on a flight from Qatar.
Bali police narcotics unit director Radiant told reporters that a search uncovered 3.1 pounds of cocaine hidden inside a sex toy placed in her genitals, along with more drugs concealed in her underwear. Officers also alleged she carried dozens of ecstasy pills.
According to police, the woman claimed she had been recruited in April by a man she met on the dark web and was promised $20,000 to deliver the narcotics to Indonesia.
She has been charged under Indonesia’s drug laws, among the toughest in the world. Convicted traffickers can face execution by firing squad, though the country has not carried out executions since 2016.
Indonesia regularly prosecutes foreigners on drug charges. Last month, a Bali court sentenced a 46-year-old Argentine woman to seven years in prison after she was caught smuggling 244 grams of cocaine inside a condom hidden in her genitals.
There are dozens of foreign nationals currently on Indonesia’s death row, almost all for drug offenses. In June, three British citizens accused of trying to bring more than two pounds of cocaine into Bali were spared the death penalty and instead given one-year sentences. A British grandmother remains among those facing execution for cocaine trafficking.
Indonesia has also moved to repatriate several high-profile drug convicts in recent months. French national Serge Atlaoui was returned to France in February on humanitarian grounds, while Filipina Mary Jane Veloso was released from death row in December and sent home. Members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring have also been repatriated to Australia.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime describes Indonesia as a key hub for international drug trafficking networks, which often target its young population despite the country’s severe penalties.