Three Britons Face Firing Squad After Cocaine Found Hidden in Angel Delight Packets

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Couple and alleged dealer caught with £272,000 worth of drugs concealed in children’s dessert mix as they join Lindsay Sandiford on Indonesia’s death row

Three British nationals are facing execution by firing squad after Indonesian authorities discovered nearly a kilogram of cocaine hidden inside Angel Delight dessert sachets at Bali’s international airport.

In a shocking case that has sent shockwaves through the expat community, Jonathan Christopher Collyer, 28, and Lisa Ellen Stocker, 29, were arrested on February 1 after customs officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport discovered the ingenious but deadly smuggling attempt.

A third Brit, Phineas Ambrose Float, 31, was arrested two days later in what police described as a “controlled delivery” operation at a Denpasar hotel.

The Angel Delight Deception

In what prosecutors called a sophisticated smuggling operation, the drugs were concealed inside packets of the beloved British powdered instant dessert mix:

• 10 sachets found in Collyer’s luggage
• 7 sachets discovered in Stocker’s suitcase
• Combined weight: 993.56 grams of cocaine
• Street value: 6 billion rupiah (£272,000)

Prosecutor I Made Dipa Umbara told the District Court in Denpasar that lab tests confirmed the innocent-looking dessert packets were stuffed with high-grade cocaine that had been brought from England to Indonesia via Qatar.

Third Time Unlucky

In a damning revelation, Ponco Indriyo, the Deputy Director of the Bali Police Narcotics Unit, told reporters that the trio had successfully smuggled cocaine into Bali on TWO previous occasions before being caught on their third attempt.

The group successfully brought cocaine into the country twice before,” Indriyo revealed at a February press conference, suggesting this was part of an established smuggling route targeting Bali’s notorious party scene.

Death Penalty Looms

The three Britons appeared in court on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, where they were formally charged with drug trafficking – a crime that carries the mandatory death penalty in Indonesia, one of the world’s toughest countries on narcotics offences.

The judges adjourned the trial until June 10, when witness testimony will be heard. Both defendants and their lawyers declined to speak to media after the hearing, appearing visibly shaken by the proceedings.

If convicted, they face execution by firing squad – the same fate that awaits fellow Brit Lindsay Sandiford, who has been on death row for over a decade.

Lindsay Sandiford: A Chilling Warning

The case has drawn inevitable comparisons to Lindsay Sandiford, the 69-year-old British grandmother who has languished on Indonesia’s death row since 2013.

Sandiford was caught with 4.8kg of cocaine hidden in her suitcase lining after arriving from Bangkok in May 2012. Despite claiming she was coerced by gangsters threatening her family, she was sentenced to death – a punishment that shocked even prosecutors who had only sought 15 years.

Now held in the notorious Kerobokan Prison – nicknamed “Hotel K” – Sandiford shares a five-metre-by-five-metre cell with four other women and has watched two friends taken away in the dead of night for execution.

“If you want to shoot me, shoot me. Get on with it,” she told reporters in 2019, adding that death “won’t be a hard thing for me to face anymore.”

Indonesia’s Deadly Drug War

The Angel Delight trio’s arrest comes as Indonesia maintains its hardline stance on drug offences:

• 530 people currently on death row, including 96 foreigners
• Most sentenced for drug-related crimes
• Last executions carried out in July 2016
• Indonesia identified as major drug-smuggling hub by UN

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says international drug syndicates specifically target Indonesia’s young population, despite the country having some of the strictest drug laws in the world.

Bali’s Dark Side

Behind the paradise island’s picture-perfect beaches and yoga retreats lies a thriving drugs trade that has claimed numerous Western lives:

• The Bali Nine: Australian drug smugglers, two executed in 2015
• Schapelle Corby: Australian convicted of marijuana smuggling in 2005
• Thomas Parker: British electrician jailed for 10 months in 2025

Just last week, Australian Lamar Aaron Ahchee, 43, was arrested after police allegedly seized 1.7kg of cocaine during a raid on his Kuta Beach rental home.

Family Heartbreak

Sources close to the families say they are “devastated” by the arrests, with relatives scrambling to arrange legal representation in Indonesia.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed: “We are providing consular assistance to three British nationals detained in Indonesia and are in contact with the local authorities.

However, as Lindsay Sandiford discovered, the British government does not fund legal representation for nationals facing the death penalty abroad – a policy that has been heavily criticized by human rights groups.

What Happens Next?

The trial resumes on June 10, with the prosecution expected to present:

• CCTV footage from the airport
• Laboratory analysis of the cocaine
• Testimony from customs officers
• Evidence of the previous smuggling runs

Legal experts say the defendants face an uphill battle, with Indonesia’s conviction rate for drug trafficking exceeding 90%.

Human rights barrister Felicity Gerry KC warned: “Indonesia’s death penalty for drug offences is absolute. There is very little room for mitigation, even for those who cooperate with authorities.”

A Mother’s Warning

From her death row cell, Lindsay Sandiford has previously warned other Britons: “Don’t be stupid. It’s not worth it. One moment of madness and you’ll end up like me.”

As Jonathan Collyer, Lisa Stocker, and Phineas Float await their fate, her words carry a chilling resonance that echoes through the corridors of Indonesia’s death row.

Image: Sunset, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, 20220825 1755 0879.jpg
Author: Jakub Hałun
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Source: Wikimedia Commons