Indonesia Deports British Crime Boss Wanted for Transnational Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering

On April 8th, Indonesia has deported a British national arrested last month on the resort island of Bali for alleged transnational drug trafficking and money laundering in Spain, immigration authorities confirmed Wednesday.

The 45-year-old, identified only by his initials “SL,” was apprehended at Ngurah Rai International Airport last month upon arrival from Singapore, after immigration officers noticed he was on Interpol’s wanted list. He was flown to Jakarta on Tuesday before being sent on to Europe, with Bali immigration officials referring to the man as a “mafia boss.”

“We will not allow Indonesian territory, especially Bali, to become a hideout or operational base for international criminals,” said Bugie Kurniawan, head of Bali airport’s immigration office.

British media have identified SL as Scottish crime boss Steven Lyons. Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya stated that Lyons was wanted in Spain as the alleged “leader of a large-scale transnational criminal organisation” involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.

Untung Widyatmoko, secretary of Interpol’s Indonesia bureau, said last month that Lyons’ criminal network operated across multiple countries, including Spain, Scotland, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Turkey. Police are continuing to search for two associates who arrived in Bali with Lyons but managed to evade capture.

By fLEXI tEAM