British couple arrested as part of drug ring in Bali

A British couple have been arrested in the Indonesian island of Bali as part of a drug smuggling ring, and could face the death penalty if found guilty.

The arrest of Julian Ponder and Rachel Dougall, parents of a six-year-old girl, followed the earlier arrest of Lindsay Sandiford, 56, who was caught smuggling cocaine worth £1.6 million into Bali. The couple were the alleged buyers of the drugs, according to the Daily Mail. A fourth Briton was also arrested and named as Paul Beales. Lindsay Sandiford agreed to take part in a sting operation to uncover the other members of the international drug smuggling ring and is said to be "singing like a bird." ITV News reported that Sandiford claimed she smuggled the drugs into Bali because her children were being threatened. ITV further report that the head of Bali's customs revealed Sandiford had "told us everything" after she was caught with almost 4kg of cocaine in the lining of her suitcase. Ponder and Dougall deny their involvement in the drug ring, with Dougall insisting "It's a fit up." She also claims she is being treated badly in the Bali prison.