Australian gets six months for drug crime<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
The Denpasar District Court sentenced on Monday an Australian
\ncitizen to six months' imprisonment for making ephedrine tablets,
\na drug that is outlawed in the country.<\/p>\n
The prison term was lighter than that demanded by prosecutor
\nNi Made Herawati, who sought a 10-months jail sentence in an
\nearlier court session.<\/p>\n
As the 37-year-old defendant, Curral Christopher, has already
\nbeen detained for six months in Krobokan Penitentiary, Denpasar,
\nhis release is scheduled for Tuesday.<\/p>\n
After the verdict was read out by Judge I Gusti Lanang Dauh,
\nChristopher, who wore a blue shirt and blue jeans, quickly moved
\nout of the court building, ignoring journalists' questions.<\/p>\n
The defendant, who comes from Sydney, was arrested by Bali
\nPolice detectives in September last year. He was arrested just
\nprior to sending 54,645 ephedrine tablets and one kilogram of
\nephedrine powder to Darwin, Australia through a courier service.<\/p>\n
According to Bali Police Headquarters chief of detectives Adj.
\nSr. Comr. Bambang Sugiharto, ephedrine can also be used as an
\ningredient of ecstasy pills.<\/p>\n
The tablets and ephedrine powder, which were intended for the
\nAustralian market, had been packed into a large flower pot that
\nwas placed in a 90-centimeter-square box. The box had been
\nentrusted to a courier company located on Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai
\nSanur, Bali, which had agreed to deliver it to an Australian
\naddress.<\/p>\n
What is Ephedrine?<\/p>\n
Ephedrine is a crystalline alkaloid extracted from ephedras,
\nshrub-like plants that are found in desert regions in central
\nAsia and other parts of the world. The dried greens of the plant
\nare used medicinally. Ephedra is a stimulant containing the
\nherbal form of ephedrine, a Food and Drug Agency (FDA)-regulated
\ndrug found in over-the-counter asthma medications.<\/p>\n
Ephedrine is widely used for weight loss, as an energy booster
\nand to enhance athletic performance.<\/p>\n
Ephedra's main active medical ingredients are the alkaloids
\nephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The FDA has received more than 800
\nreports of adverse effects associated with use of products
\ncontaining ephedrine alkaloid since 1994. These serious adverse
\neffects include hypertension, palpitations and neurophathy (nerve
\ndamage).<\/p>\n
The agency has proposed to prohibit the marketing of dietary
\nsupplements containing 8 milligrams or more of ephedrine
\nalkaloids per serving.<\/p>\n
Source: www.ephedrine-
\nephedra.com\/pages\/what_is_ephedrine_1234.html<\/p>",
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