DENPASAR, Bali – Two British nationals have been sentenced to prison by the Denpasar District Court after being found guilty of smuggling 1.3 kilograms of cocaine into Bali.

Kial Garth Robinson, 29, from Littlehampton, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while Piran Ezra Wilkinson, 48, from Chichester, received a nine-year sentence. Both were also ordered to pay a fine of approximately £45,000 or serve an additional 190 days in jail.

Robinson was arrested in September 2025 at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport after customs officers discovered two packages containing 1.3kg of cocaine in his backpack. Court proceedings revealed that he transported the drugs from Barcelona, Spain, and was instructed to deliver them to Wilkinson in Bali.

Wilkinson was arrested the following day in Canggu, Badung.

Prosecutors stated that the two men knew each other and had met in Barcelona prior to their arrests. During trial, Robinson claimed he acted merely as a courier and had been promised a total payment of $10,000, partly to settle personal debts. However, the panel of judges ruled that his actions posed a serious threat to Indonesia’s national security in relation to narcotics distribution.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the two detainees and remains in contact with Indonesian authorities.

Indonesia enforces some of the world’s strictest anti-narcotics laws. Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty under Indonesian law, although executions have not been carried out in recent years.

The case underscores Indonesia’s firm stance against transnational drug trafficking, particularly in Bali, a major international tourism destination.