BALI, RAKYAT NEWS – The Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Division (Bareskrim Polri) successfully repatriated RN, a foreign national linked to a major drug lab operation in Badung, Bali.

RN, a Ukrainian national, had been a fugitive since May 2024 and was captured in Thailand on December 19, 2024, while attempting to board a flight to Dubai.

The suspect was detained at U-Tapao Rayong Airport by Thai authorities before being transferred to Indonesia. RN arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday, December 22, at 18:30 WIB, after traveling from Bangkok. His repatriation marks a significant step in the ongoing efforts to dismantle drug production operations in Bali.

According to Brigadier General Mukti Juharsa, the Director of the Narcotics Crime Division at Bareskrim, RN had been residing in Bangkok for approximately three and a half months before his arrest. Thai police had been monitoring RN’s movements following intelligence gathered from Indonesian authorities.

Upon receiving confirmation of RN’s location, the Police Attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok coordinated closely with Thai law enforcement to ensure his return to Indonesia. After RN’s handover by Thai authorities, Indonesian police immediately arranged for his transportation back to Indonesia.

RN is believed to be the key figure behind a clandestine drug laboratory located in a villa in the Tibubeneng area of Badung, Bali. The laboratory was used for the production of illegal substances, including marijuana and methamphetamine. RN was reportedly the financier and mastermind behind the lab, and he had organized the construction of a basement at the villa for the purpose of running the operation.