Indonesian court sentences Ukrainian man to life for producing illegal drugs in Bali

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's citizen Roman Nazarenko, centre, who was later convicted of running a drug lab on the resort island of Bali, attends a hearing at the district court in Denpasar, Indonesia, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. - AP

DENPASAR: A Ukrainian man arrested in Thailand and extradited to Indonesia after seven months on the run was convicted Thursday (Sept 18) of producing illegal drugs on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali and sentenced to life in prison.

Roman Nazarenko, 40, became a suspect after police raided a villa in Bali in May 2024 and found a lab in the basement to grow marijuana and produce a precursor of the synthetic drug ecstasy. As a fugitive listed by Interpol, he was arrested in December at Bangkok's international airport while he tried to flee to Dubai.