British hotel owner arrested on Bali for alleged drug possession

A British hotel owner has been arrested on the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali on suspicion of possessing drugs.

Police said Kenneth Daniel Kutsch and his Indonesian girlfriend Ni Ketut Dewi Seniwati were detained in a restaurant car park after residents reported alleged drug dealing in the area.

Officers seized 223g (7.9oz) of marijuana from the pair, according to Badung police chief Roby Septiadi.

Kutsch, who has a hotel business on neighbouring Lombok island and is reportedly aged 62, and 55-year-old Seniwati were arrested on 7 May.

They have now appeared, dressed in orange tops, in front of journalists at a police news conference.

Also placed in front of the cameras was an Italian tourist who was arrested on 13 May for allegedly possessing drugs.

Francesco D’Alesio is accused of having 94g (3.2oz) of cocaine valued at 400m rupiah (£19,700).

D’Alesio has been stranded on Bali because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has actively used cocaine during his stay, officers claim.

“We are still investigating the large amount of evidence we have obtained to determine the source of the narcotics,” said Badung police narcotic unit chief, I Putu Budi Artama.

Indonesia has very strict drug laws, and convicted dealers are sometimes killed by firing squad.

More than 150 people are currently on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About a third of them are foreigners.

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