Authorities in Indonesia say they will deport a United Kingdom national arrested in Bali over the weekend after he was flagged by Interpol for alleged transnational drug trafficking and money laundering.
The 45-year-old suspect, identified by police only as “SL” but reported by British media as Steven Lyons, was arrested shortly after arriving at Ngurah Rai International Airport.
According to Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya, the suspect was detained during routine checks upon arrival on a flight from Singapore.
Immigration officials said the system flagged Lyons as the subject of an Interpol red notice, prompting his immediate arrest. The airport’s immigration head, Bugie Kurniawan, said the alert appeared during a routine database screening.
Authorities say Lyons is wanted in Spain, where investigators allege he led a large-scale transnational criminal organisation involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.
Untung Widyatmoko said the group’s operations spanned several countries, including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Turkey, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Officials confirmed that Lyons is expected to be deported to the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, police have launched a search for two associates who reportedly travelled to Bali with the suspect but managed to evade detection during the airport screening.
