Three British Nationals Face Death Penalty in Bali for Smuggling Over 2 Pounds of Cocaine

British nationals, from left, Phineas Float, Jonathan Collyer, and Lisa Stocker who are accused of smuggling nearly a kilogram (over two pounds) of cocaine into Indonesia sit inside the courtroom before the start of their trial hearing at Denpasar District Court in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

Three British citizens were formally charged in an Indonesian court on Tuesday for allegedly smuggling nearly one kilogram of cocaine into Bali, facing the possibility of the death penalty under the country’s notoriously strict drug laws.

The defendants—Jonathan Christopher Collyer, 28, Lisa Ellen Stocker, 29, and Phineas Ambrose Float, 31—are accused of importing a total of 993.56 grams (approximately 2.19 pounds) of cocaine disguised as food products. The charges were read at the Denpasar District Court on the Indonesian resort island, with Collyer and Stocker facing trial together and Float being tried separately.

Collyer and Stocker were apprehended on February 1 after customs officers flagged suspicious packages during luggage screening at Bali’s airport. Prosecutor I Made Dipa Umbara stated that lab analysis revealed the contents of ten sachets of Angel Delight dessert mix in Collyer’s suitcase and seven more in Stocker’s luggage were laced with cocaine, valued at 6 billion rupiah (around $368,000 USD).

Two days after the airport arrest, Float was detained in a controlled police operation during which Collyer and Stocker allegedly delivered the drugs to him at a hotel parking lot in Denpasar. Authorities stated that the narcotics had been transported from the United Kingdom via Doha, Qatar, with Bali as the final destination.

Police say this was the group’s third drug-smuggling attempt, having successfully trafficked cocaine into the island twice before being caught.

Following the formal reading of the charges, the court adjourned the proceedings until June 10, when witness testimonies are scheduled to begin. All three defendants declined to speak to media after the hearing.

Indonesia enforces some of the harshest drug laws globally, with convicted traffickers subject to the death penalty by firing squad. Official records show that approximately 530 individuals are currently on death row in Indonesia, including 96 foreign nationals, primarily for drug offenses.

Among them is British citizen Lindsay Sandiford, who was sentenced to death in 2013 for smuggling 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) of cocaine into Bali in 2012. Her sentence was upheld by Indonesia's highest court.

Despite its severe penalties, Indonesia remains a key transit hub for international drug syndicates. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, criminal networks continue to exploit the archipelago’s strategic location and its youthful population.