Denpasar, Bali. Indonesian police have arrested a 52-year-old British national in Bali after seizing more than 1.4 kilograms of cocaine at a hotel in the Legian area, authorities said.

The suspect, identified by police by the initials BJS, 52, was detained at a hotel in Legian, near Kuta, in Badung in mid-February 2026. Officers seized more than 1.4 kilograms of cocaine, estimated to be worth around Rp 6 billion rupiah (about $358,000) on the illicit market.

Police said the arrest followed intelligence reports about a foreigner who had been moving frequently between hotels, raising suspicions of illicit activity.

Denpasar Police Chief Leonardo Daniel Simatupang said officers initially found no drugs during a body search. However, a subsequent search of the suspect’s hotel room uncovered five large packages of cocaine neatly stored inside a suitcase.

“This is not a casual user. There are strong indications the suspect is part of a distribution network,” Leonardo said on Wednesday.

During questioning, BJS told investigators he acted as a “warehouse keeper” for the drugs. He claimed to have been recruited by a figure known as “Mic Bro,” whom police believe to be a key player in an international trafficking network and who remains at large.

According to police, the suspect arrived in Bali in December 2025 to receive cocaine shipments delivered by unidentified couriers. Two couriers allegedly handed over the drugs along with weighing equipment. His role, investigators said, was to store the cocaine and wait for buyers.

In return, BJS reportedly received monthly living expenses worth several million rupiah and was promised a much larger payment—potentially reaching hundreds of millions of rupiah—once the drugs were sold.

Police said the suspect also admitted to consuming some of the cocaine himself, processing part of it into solid form for personal use, while hiding the remainder in a suitcase kept inside the hotel wardrobe.

The case has once again highlighted Bali’s vulnerability as a transit point for international narcotics trafficking, with authorities suspecting that larger actors based overseas are directing operations on the island.

BJS is now being held in police custody and faces serious narcotics charges that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison or life imprisonment, as well as fines totaling billions of rupiah.