DENPASAR, DEWATA.NEWS – The Denpasar District Court has sentenced a Peruvian national, Natalia Sofia Baca Cordova, to 11 years in prison and imposed a fine of IDR 2 billion for smuggling more than 1.4 kilograms of cocaine and dozens of ecstasy tablets into Bali.
The verdict was handed down during a court session on Thursday (8/1). Presiding Judge Teni Erma stated that the defendant was proven guilty of violating Indonesia’s narcotics law.
“The defendant has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing a narcotics crime involving Group II drugs weighing more than five grams,” Judge Teni Erma said while reading the ruling.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a subsidiary penalty of 290 days in jail if the fine is not paid. The sentence was lighter than the prosecutor’s earlier demand, which sought 16 years of imprisonment and a fine of IDR 2 billion, with a one-year subsidiary sentence.
The panel of judges cited several mitigating factors, including the defendant’s polite behavior during trial proceedings, her expression of remorse, and the fact that she had no prior criminal record. However, the court also noted aggravating circumstances, stating that her actions did not support the government’s efforts to combat drug trafficking.
Both the prosecution and the defense accepted the verdict and confirmed that no appeal would be filed.
“Natalia has accepted the decision, which reduced the initial 16-year demand to 11 years, along with a fine of IDR 2 billion and a subsidiary sentence of around seven months,” defense lawyer Michael Calvirad Meo Ghary said. “She chose not to appeal, especially as her father passed away several days ago.”
The drug smuggling case was uncovered on August 12, 2025, at around 23:30 WITA at the Customs inspection area of the International Arrival Terminal at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban, Kuta, Badung. Officers seized cocaine weighing 1,547 grams gross, or 1,432.81 grams net, along with 85 orange ecstasy tablets weighing 33.9 grams net.
The drugs were discovered during a joint operation by Ngurah Rai Customs officers and the Bali Police Narcotics Directorate. Investigators found that the cocaine was concealed in 10 separate packages. Seven packages wrapped in black tape were hidden inside the bra worn by the defendant, containing 608.8 grams of cocaine and the ecstasy tablets. Three additional packages, also wrapped in black tape, were concealed in her underwear and contained 630.01 grams of cocaine.
Another package was found hidden inside a sex toy concealed in the defendant’s body, which contained 195 grams of cocaine.
The case highlights continued enforcement efforts by Indonesian authorities against international drug smuggling through Bali’s main airport.