Breaking bad: German man arrested over crystal meth lab on holiday island of Bali
A German man has been arrested on Indonesia’s Bali island for allegedly making crystal methamphetamine in a secret lab, officials said on Thursday, with authorities seizing bags of powders and bottles used to produce the drug.
The 35-year-old German, his Indonesian partner – a transgender woman – and two Indonesian men were detained on Monday, accused of making crystal meth together, the anti-drugs agency said.
[The German] was the one who came up with the idea to start the meth lab four months ago
The group could face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of producing and using the substance, the agency said, but the suspects look likely to avoid the death penalty as they had so far made only a small quantity.
Just 10 grammes of the drug was seized when they were arrested. Authorities suspect it was mostly for personal consumption, with just a small amount sold to others on Bali.
Indonesia imposes capital punishment for some drug-related crimes, such as trafficking narcotics into the country, and has caused global outrage by sharply increasing its use of the death penalty against drug convicts.
The German, whose identity was not disclosed, “was the one who came up with the idea to start the meth lab four months ago”, said anti-drugs agency official I Ketut Arta.