Brothers get 5 and 6 years for drugs

TANGERANG: The Tangerang District Court sentenced on Tuesday two brothers to five and six years jail respectively, for illegal possession of 8.5 kilograms of marijuana, delivered by a man from Banda Aceh in June.

Presiding judge Zainal Arifin said that the defendants, Irwandi Ibrahim and Junaidi Ibrahim, residents at Jl. Kenari I No. 4, Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta were found guilty of receiving the drugs that arrived at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on June 4.

Zainal said that the two defendants had disregard the government campaign against drug abuse and the mitigating factors were that they had been polite and honest while in court and had never had any prior convictions.

Earlier prosecutor Zainabun charged the defendants with violating Article 82 of the Law No. 22/1997 on drug abuse and had demanded a seven-year jail term each for the defendants. The Article carries a maximum punishment of death.

The defendants were arrested at their house in Central Jakarta after an airport customs and excise officer found the drugs in an airport domestic delivery warehouse.

Both defendants stated they would not appeal since they accepted the court verdict.--JP