In May, police raided the Sunny Villages villa and uncovered a large drug lab. The operation was run by two 32-year-old twins from Ukraine, Ivan and Nikita V. On Thursday, hearings on the case resumed at the Denpasar District Court, where the suspects revealed new details.
It emerged that the brothers initially came to Bali not only for a vacation but also to work. However, they claim they were unaware they had been hired to work on an illegal marijuana plantation. The twins insist they had no intention of starting a drug production business in Bali. They traveled to the Island of the Gods at the invitation of a Ukrainian acquaintance named Roman Nazarenko, who offered them accommodation and work.
“I ran out of money. Roman then invited me to work in Bali. He also promised us housing,” Nikita said during the hearing at the Denpasar District Court last Thursday.
Nikita and Ivan accepted the offer. Once on the island, they moved into a villa where they were taught the complex process of growing hydroponic marijuana in the basement.
Nikita and Ivan said they were shocked when they realized what their work entailed but felt they had no choice but to comply. According to the accused, they were forced into the operation due to their lack of funds and because they were threatened. “We were afraid of Roman,” Nikita stated. Interestingly, the twins claim they were never paid any salary; they were only given small amounts of cash for daily expenses and had their car rental covered. Roman controlled all the finances.
The twins said they only knew Roman and another Ukrainian named Alexei Kolotov within the drug network, and they were unaware of other participants or dealers. Nikita also admitted that he had no prior knowledge or experience in this type of agronomy. The techniques were taught to them online by an expert hired by Roman. Besides marijuana, Nikita disclosed that the villa also produced a chemical drug called mephedrone, which Roman manufactured himself.
The presiding judge, Putu Suyoga, asked Nikita if he and Ivan were involved in producing mephedrone, which was also found in the secret lab. Nikita denied this and added that he had no knowledge of the selling price of their crops, as Roman managed that aspect. The defendants identified Roman as the mastermind behind the drug operation. He remains at large and is believed to be in Thailand.
Ivan and Nikita were arrested by Bali’s criminal investigation department during a raid on the Sunny Villages villa in Tibubeneng, Canggu, on May 2. Along with them, Russian national Konstantin Kruts and Indonesian citizen Lazuardi Muddazir were also detained. During the raid, officers seized substantial evidence, including ecstasy-printing equipment, 9,799 grams of hydroponic marijuana, 437 grams of mephedrone, and various precursor chemicals for mephedrone production. Equipment for manufacturing and packaging cannabis and mephedrone was also discovered.
The hearings on the case are ongoing, and the suspects have yet to be sentenced. However, based on the charges, the minimum sentence is five years, with the maximum being the death penalty.
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