23-12-2024 (JAKARTA) A major breakthrough in international drug enforcement occurred as Thai authorities successfully captured Roman (R), the alleged mastermind behind a sophisticated hashish laboratory operation in Bali, following a coordinated operation in Bangkok. The suspect has now been transferred to Indonesian custody at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Eyewitnesses at Terminal 3 reported seeing the Ukrainian national, clad in distinctive orange prison attire, being escorted through Gate 1 at approximately 6:28 PM local time on Sunday. The suspect was swiftly transported from the airport premises for further investigation by Indonesian authorities.
Brigadier General Mukti Juharsa, Director of Narcotics Crime Investigation at the Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), confirmed the high-profile arrest. “We have successfully apprehended this major drug lord, the controller of the clandestine laboratory operation in Bali,” Juharsa told reporters.
The arrest follows a significant raid conducted on 2 May at a villa in Canggu, North Kuta, Badung regency, Bali. During the initial operation, authorities detained three foreign nationals: Ukrainian twin brothers Ivan and Mikhayla Volovod, along with Russian national Konstantin Krutz.
In what investigators describe as an unprecedented discovery in Indonesia, the syndicate had established two distinct clandestine laboratories within a single villa compound. The sophisticated operation included both a hydroponic cannabis cultivation facility and a chemical laboratory producing mephedrone, a key component in ecstasy manufacturing.
The criminal enterprise, operating under the moniker ‘Hydra Indonesia’, employed advanced digital technologies for their operations. The group utilised cryptocurrency for transactions and promoted their illicit products through darknet forums, establishing a complex digital distribution network.
Police investigations revealed the syndicate had amassed approximately 4 billion rupiah ($246,000) in cryptocurrency over a six-month period. The operation was cleverly disguised within a residential area, with the drug production facilities hidden in the villa’s basement.
