DENPASAR ~ Ngurah Rai International Airport customs officers seized 35.2 kilograms of gold jewelry from luggage belonging to a man traveling to Singapore on February 4, an official said.

The day after the seizure of the gold, worth an estimated Rp13 billion (US$1.1 million), investigating officer Bagus Wibowo said the man had been stopped in a routine customs check.

He said officers were surprised to find a large amount of gold in two suitcases.

“We asked the man what he was carrying and he told us he was carrying ‘some gold.’ But when we discovered how much, we arrested him and seized his suitcases,” Wibowo said.

According to Wibowo, the gold was being sent with the man, who claimed he was a courier, from a company in Denpasar to a company in Singapore.

“We are continuing to investigate this case, and have been in contact with the government Trade Department,” Wibowo said.