Zarina to be charged with trafficking Ecstasy<\/p>\n
PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen.
\nHamami Nata said yesterday that Zarina, the Ecstasy-case suspect
\nrecently apprehended in Houston, USA, would be tried for drug
\ntrafficking.<\/p>\n
He said police investigations revealed the 24-year-old woman
\nwas trafficking the 29,677 Ecstasy pills found in her home in
\nwest Jakarta three months ago.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has no law on Ecstasy. Any Ecstasy-related cases are
\ndealt with by the existing 1992 Health Law, which deals with,
\namong other things, dangerous drugs.<\/p>\n
According to article 79 of the law, anyone found distributing
\ndangerous drugs faces a maximum jail term of 15 years or a fine
\nof up to Rp 300 million.<\/p>\n
\"Preliminary investigations showed Zarina had tried to
\ndistribute the pills which did not belong to her,\" Hamami said
\nafter attending the 51st anniversary of the elite Mobile Brigade
\npolice corps yesterday.<\/p>\n
National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo had earlier said
\nZarina was probably an Ecstasy syndicate's new dealer.<\/p>\n
The Health Law does not prohibit the possession of dangerous
\ndrugs.<\/p>\n
Ecstasy is considered a dangerous drug and a bill on
\npsychotropic drugs is still being deliberated.<\/p>\n
Article 58 of the bill says anyone caught illegally producing
\nor distributing, exporting or importing psychotropic drugs will
\nbe face up to 20 years jail or fines of up to Rp 500 million
\n(US$212,765).<\/p>\n
Zarina, who is in Houston waiting to be tried for U.S.
\nimmigration violations, has made headlines in local newspapers
\nsince her escape from a police escort in August.<\/p>\n
She is expected to return to Jakarta next week to face the
\ndrug trafficking charges.<\/p>\n
Hamami had earlier expressed his disappointment over court
\nverdicts meted out to Ecstasy distributors. \"Both sentence
\ndemands and court verdicts should have been higher,\" he said,
\nresponding to reports that most Ecstasy-related case defendants
\ngot less than one year in jail.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday a state prosecutor asked the Tangerang District
\nCourt to sentence a defendant to one year in jail and fine her Rp
\n3 million for trafficking 9,000 Ecstasy pills.<\/p>\n
Last week the same court sentenced a businessman to eight
\nmonths jail for attempting to traffic more than 700 Ecstasy
\npills.<\/p>\n
Hamami had earlier said he wanted members of the House of
\nRepresentatives working on the bill on psychotropic drugs to
\nintroduce a minimum penalty for Ecstasy offenders.<\/p>\n
\"Charging Ecstasy offenders with a maximum term has only
\nbrought comfort to them because they know they could be jailed
\nfor as little as one day. A minimum penalty is needed,\" Hamami
\nsaid. (bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/zarina-to-be-charged-with-trafficking-ecstasy-1447893297",
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