A British man is facing the death penalty in Bali over allegations that he smuggled more than 1kg of cocaine into the country in his backpack.
Kial Robinson, 29, from Chichester, was arrested on 3 September at Bali International Airport after customs officers found 1,321g of the drug in his bag, according to prosecutors.
A video showed Robinson being brought into Denpasar District Court in orange prison overalls. He was seen making a series of hand gestures including a thumbs up and a peace sign.
“Give them a smile,” he said, according to the Daily Mail. “Give them a thumbs up.”
Robinson, a landscape gardener by profession, has been charged with multiple breaches of Indonesia’s drug laws, including drugs trafficking, drugs importation and drugs possession.
If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Prosecutors say he was recruited into the scheme by a man named Santos, who promised him $5,000 (£3,760) in cryptocurrency in exchange for delivering the drugs to someone in Bali.
“The defendant had been given a further $3,000 (£2,250) on 1 September 2025 to pay for flight tickets from Barcelona to Bali and from Bali to Thailand where the defendant planned to return to a week later,” prosecutors said.
“This was the first time the defendant had ever carried or brought narcotics into Indonesia. The defendant had also never carried or brought narcotics into any other country before.”
They added: “There was also a budget to rent a room at Anginsepoi Villa, and buy clothing, food and beverages, and other necessities.”
Piran Wilkinson, 48, was also arrested with Robinson in September and is also facing trial.
The trial will take place next week, with witnesses being called to determine the facts of the case.
Drug trafficking is a serious offence in Indonesia, with the death penalty being the most severe punishment applied to those found guilty of an offence.
Bali uses the firing squad for its capital punishment offences, but has not implemented the penalty since 2015.
The Independent has contacted lawyers for Robinson as well as the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office for comment.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office previously said: “We have been made aware of two British nationals who have been detained in Bali. We continue consular support for both and are in contact with the local authorities.”
