Indonesian authorities say British adult content creator Bonnie Blue is facing the possibility of a long prison term after being arrested in Bali over an alleged “BangBus” sex tour that police suspect was designed to generate pornography in breach of the country’s strict morality laws. The case has drawn global attention not only because the 36-year-old could in theory be jailed for up to 15 years, but also because an expatriate who reported her operation to officials has defended their decision amid accusations online that they “snitched” on her.
Blue, whose real name has been reported locally as Tia Billinger, was detained in early December when officers from Bali’s immigration enforcement unit and local police stopped a blue truck that had been emblazoned with her image and the slogan “Bonnie Blue’s BangBus.” Indonesian media and officials say the vehicle was intercepted in the tourist hotspot of Seminyak after authorities received information that it was being used as a mobile venue for explicit content involving foreign holidaymakers. Seventeen male tourists were taken into custody alongside Blue during the raid, although so far she is the only person formally treated as a suspect.
According to police statements cited in multiple reports, investigators believe the bus was being used to film pornographic material in violation of Indonesia’s 2008 anti-pornography law, which criminalises the production and distribution of explicit content. Badung Police Chief I Nyoman Dhana Putra said officers suspect the vehicle “was used by the alleged perpetrator to produce pornographic videos,” while images released by police show the exterior covered with suggestive branding and photographs of Blue. Officers also displayed items they said had been seized as evidence, including cameras, lighting equipment, condoms and pills believed to be erectile dysfunction medication, as well as the truck itself.
Blue had heavily promoted the Bali trip on her social media accounts in the weeks before the arrest. In a video shared on Instagram and later described by news outlets, she invited followers to join what she called her “BangBus tour,” telling them that a group of men would travel with her to the Indonesian island for a week of partying and filming. In one clip, she told prospective customers that whoever impressed her the most on the trip would win a night with her and a role in a professionally shot adult scene, making clear that sexual contact and filming were central parts of the package.
The promotion was framed around Australia’s annual Schoolies period, when thousands of young Australians travel overseas to celebrate the end of exams. Reports say the package, which included flights, accommodation and alcohol, cost several thousand Australian dollars per person. Her marketing material showed a blue truck decorated with her name and image and promised participants that they would have the chance to appear in adult content shot on location in Bali. Indonesian authorities now allege that the bus seen in those clips is the same vehicle they intercepted in Seminyak.
Under Indonesian law, the production or distribution of pornography can be punished by up to 12 years’ imprisonment, with a higher 15-year maximum if minors are involved, along with fines running into billions of rupiah. Police have stressed that their investigation is continuing and have not publicly alleged that any underage people were involved in Blue’s operation, but they say they are examining electronic equipment seized from the bus to determine whether explicit material was recorded in Bali and whether it was uploaded to subscription platforms.
Immigration officials have placed Blue in detention and seized her passport while the investigation continues. If prosecutors move ahead with charges under the anti-pornography statute, she would be tried in an Indonesian court and could face a substantial prison term. However, local legal experts quoted in Indonesian and international media have suggested that a lengthy custodial sentence is unlikely for a first-time foreign offender in a case where no Indonesian citizens appear to have participated.
Philo Dellano, an immigration lawyer based in Bali, told one news outlet that authorities have broad discretion to deport foreigners on public-order grounds even if their conduct might technically fall under criminal law. He said officials could choose to send Blue home rather than put her through a full trial if there is what he described as an “invisible hand” in government that prefers deportation over prosecution in a high-profile case of this kind. Dellano noted that deportation can be imposed as an administrative sanction that bars a foreigner from re-entering Indonesia for a lengthy period, a step that is often used against tourists accused of disrespecting local customs or misusing their visas.
The case has put renewed focus on the tension between Bali’s dependence on foreign tourism and Indonesia’s conservative legal framework, particularly regarding sex work and pornography. Bali is majority Hindu and has a reputation internationally as a party destination, yet national law applies uniformly across the country and has been used repeatedly against visitors accused of lewd behaviour. Past cases have seen tourists deported for posing nude at sacred temples or filming explicit content in hotel rooms, sometimes after images circulated widely online and drew local anger.
What differentiates the Bonnie Blue case is the scale and explicit commercial nature of the alleged operation. The bus was not hidden in a secluded venue but driven on public roads with branding that clearly linked it to pornographic content. Indonesian officials say that alone is enough to trigger an investigation because it potentially exposes explicit advertising to the general public, including families and religious communities who consider such displays deeply offensive.
According to Australian coverage of the case, the initial complaint did not originate with local police monitoring social media but from a foreign resident living in Bali who reported the “BangBus” promotion to authorities. That person, an expatriate who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters they felt compelled to act after seeing footage of the vehicle and its branding and believing it risked harming Bali’s reputation by turning the island into the backdrop for a highly visible “gang bang bus” marketed to young tourists. The whistleblower argued that while they had no personal issue with adult content, operating such a conspicuous sex tour in a country with strict laws was irresponsible and likely to backfire on everyone involved, including other foreigners who live and work legally on the island.
Their intervention has reignited debates about “snitching” within expatriate and tourist communities. On social media, some of Blue’s supporters have framed the tip-off as a betrayal, accusing the informer of moralising and interfering in consensual adult activity. Others, including many Indonesians, have defended the decision to contact authorities, arguing that the law is clear and that deliberately organising a publicised sex tour in a conservative jurisdiction shows disrespect for local norms.
In comment threads beneath coverage of the case, many users have pointed out that Blue publicised the trip heavily, posting multiple times about the “BangBus” on her accounts and sharing behind-the-scenes footage. One commenter on a Facebook post about the story wrote that “Nobody snitched…. Bonnie has been bragging about this for weeks!” suggesting that officials could easily have discovered the promotion themselves from her own content. Others argued that participants who flew to Bali to join the bus should have researched Indonesia’s laws and understood that behaviour legal in some Western countries is punishable there.
Blue has built a career as a controversial figure in adult entertainment and social media, which adds further context to the reaction. Last year she attracted criticism in Australia over a stunt in which she promised to sleep with 1,000 men during Schoolies, an event that local politicians and community leaders condemned as “vile” and degrading. Australian reports say she has previously been refused entry to the country after immigration authorities deemed her plans incompatible with visa rules. She has also courted attention by speaking openly about her work on podcasts and in interviews, insisting that she is comfortable with her choices and that her content is aimed at consenting adults.
Those earlier controversies appear to have influenced how the Bali case has been perceived. Critics online have framed her arrest as the predictable result of pushing boundaries in places where she does not fully understand the cultural or legal environment. Supporters, including subscribers to her online platforms, see the case as an example of authorities over-reaching into consensual adult behaviour and argue that harsh anti-pornography laws are outdated in the age of subscription services and digital content.
For now, however, it is Indonesian law that will determine the outcome. Officials have indicated that the investigation could take several weeks as they review data from devices seized in the raid and interview witnesses, including the men who were on the bus at the time of the operation. Those men were initially detained but have reportedly been released after questioning and may be treated as witnesses rather than suspects.
Blue is being held at an immigration detention facility while authorities decide whether to pursue criminal charges, impose administrative sanctions such as deportation, or both. Her online accounts have been largely inactive since the arrest, although prior to being taken into custody she reportedly told followers that more content from the Bali trip would be released and urged them to subscribe if they wanted to see what happened.
Legal experts note that even if prosecutors opt for deportation instead of a lengthy prison term, the case will likely have lasting consequences for Blue’s career. A deportation order from Indonesia could bar her from returning to the country for years at a time when the island remains a major hub for content creators and nightlife businesses. It may also serve as a warning to other influencers and adult performers who see Bali’s beaches and villas as attractive backdrops for subscription platforms but who fail to consider the legal framework that applies once promotional material crosses into the territory of pornography under Indonesian law.
As the investigation continues, the anonymous informant who first alerted authorities has insisted that their actions were motivated by a desire to uphold local law rather than personal animosity, while critics continue to label them a “snitch” who helped send a woman to face the possibility of a long sentence in a foreign jail. For Indonesian officials, the case is being presented more simply as another example of visitors who fail to understand that behaviour tolerated elsewhere can carry severe consequences in a country where public morality statutes remain firmly enforced.