The panel of judges at the Denpasar District Court sentenced 40-year-old Russian citizen Andrey Z. to 5 years and 8 months in prison for attempting to import cannabis paste disguised as face cream into Indonesia.
In the decision, presiding judge Gede Putra Astawa stated that, in addition to the prison term, the convict must pay a fine of 1 billion rupiah. Otherwise, he faces an additional 6 months in prison. Meanwhile, the time he spent in detention awaiting trial is credited.
"We find the defendant Andrey Z. guilty of committing the crime of illegal importation of Class I narcotics," announced the judge.
The sentence was more lenient than requested by the prosecution. Earlier, state prosecutor I Made Lovi Pusnavan demanded 8.5 years in prison and a 1-billion-rupiah fine for the Russian. After the verdict was announced, both the defendant and the prosecutor stated that they accepted the sentence.
During the hearing, it was established that everything began on January 25, 2025, when Andrey flew from Phuket International Airport (Thailand) on AirAsia flight QZ 247. He claimed to have arrived in Bali to work for a heavy equipment manufacturing company.
At Ngurah Rai Airport, customs officials used an X-ray to check his luggage. "The results showed a suspicious substance. Further examination in a separate room revealed evidence of drug smuggling," said the prosecutor.
Among the seized items: a blue Nivea cream jar with paste containing THC (gross weight 181.08 g, net weight 179.52 g), a smoking device, a pack of stickers labeled My Bali Store, a purple iPhone, a boarding pass, and customs documents in the name of Andrey Z.
The results of the chemical forensic examination by Indonesian police confirmed that the paste contained tetrahydrocannabinol, classified as a Category I narcotic.
"Andrey had no health authority permission to import this substance, nor is there evidence that the THC was intended for medical or scientific purposes," the prosecutor emphasized.
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