The Sun (UK) How Bali became a haven for Brit narcos as cops fear gruesome cartel wars have turned party island into ‘killing ground’

Here’s the Sun article – paywall

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/38670430/bali-gangs-drugs-cartels/

Google AI Summary

: The head of the notorious Lyons crime gang from Glasgow was arrested at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in March 2026. He is set to be deported to Spain to face questioning related to gangland murders.

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: Sentenced in February 2026 to 11 and 9 years respectively for smuggling 1.3kg of cocaine from Barcelona.

“Angel Delight” Trio: In July 2025, three Brits from Sussex Lisa Stocker Jon Collyer  and Phineas Float received relatively lenient one-year sentences for smuggling nearly a kilogram of cocaine disguised as dessert powder.

• Lindsay Sandiford

  : The 69-year-old “death row granny” was finally repatriated to the UK in November 2025 after spending over a decade in Kerobokan prison. 

  The Jakarta Post +7

• Lucrative Market: Cocaine prices in Bali are among the highest in the world, reaching up to £200 per gram, making it a high-profit destination for international dealers.
• Cartel Infiltration: Cops have confirmed the presence of the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as Russian and Ukrainian syndicates who reportedly cooperate in Bali despite the war in their home countries.
• Tech-Savvy Operations: Traffickers are increasingly using cryptocurrency, blockchain, and encrypted messaging apps like Telegram to coordinate drop-offs, making detection difficult for the Bali Narcotics Board (BNP).
• Rising Violence: Authorities link a spike in “mafia-style” crimes, including a contract-style shooting in Canggu and the gruesome murder of a Ukrainian mafia boss’s son in early 2026, to these expanding drug networks. 

The Indonesian government has intensified airport surveillance, specifically targeting arrivals from the UK. While some foreigners have recently received lighter sentences or been repatriated under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, officials maintain a “zero tolerance” stance, and trafficking more than five grams still carries the potential for the death penalty.