Four Britons facing death penalty in Bali over cocaine smuggling allegations

Yesterday, it was revealed that a 55-year-old housewife from Redcar had been arrested at Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport while allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.7kg of cocaine concealed in the lining of her suitcase.

Lindsay Sandiford appeared in front of the press yesterday dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and surrounded by masked guards.

According to the Australian Associated Press news agency, Sandiford agreed to help authorities catch the other alleged members of the gang - three Britons and an Indian national.

Owing to Indonesia's tough anti-drugs laws, the accused now face the death penalty.

Sandiford is reported to have claimed that she only agreed to the smuggling plot because her children, who live in England, were being threatened.

Following the police sting operation, two British men, known as BP and JAP, and one British woman, labelled RLD, were arrested.

The head of Bali's drugs squad has indicated that BP and JAP are senior figures in a  drug-smuggling syndicate, telling the press: "It's an international network controlled from abroad."

Indonesian customs official Made Wijaya said of the arrests: "The charge against them would carry the death penalty."

The street value of the cocaine carried by Sandiford was estimated at £1.6m.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said it was aware of the arrests and stood "ready to provide consular assistance", but declined to comment further.

Image: Getty