Defendant tells court of previous 'sin'
Defendant tells court of previous 'sin'
TANGERANG, West Java (JP): A 41-year-old woman standing trial
for allegedly attempting to smuggle 9,000 Ecstasy pills into
Indonesia told the Tangerang District Court yesterday that she
had twice succeeded in smuggling the drug into the country in
1993 and 1994.
"In 1993 I managed to smuggle 200 Ecstasy pills from the
Netherlands into Indonesia through the Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport. The following year I smuggled in 300
pills," ELW told the court presided over by Judge M. Nawir.
Motivated by her desire to make a large sum of money, the
defendant confessed that she stashed 9,000 pills in her suitcase
and sports shoes and attempted to enter the country on March 27
through Soekarno-Hatta Airport, where she was apprehended by
customs and excise officials.
"In The Hague I bought for 10 guilder (Rp 14,000) each. I
intended to sell the pills in Jakarta for Rp 30,000 each," she
said.
She claimed that she bought the pills from someone named Sonny
Luis Lai in The Hague. She then boarded a Lufthansa flight.
If found guilty, the defendant could be imprisoned for up to
15 years and fined up to Rp 300 million.
The defendant's lawyers, Nuryanto and Rusdi Sovian, earlier
asked the court to drop the charges against their client.
According to the lawyers, Health Regulation No.23/1992 cannot
be used to convict their client.
The lawyers argued that only institutions, professional and
business groups having expertise in public health are subject to
the regulation, not individuals.
The defendant has no expertise in public health and had the
Ecstasy pills just because she thought the pills could make her a
lot of money, the lawyers said.
The trial was adjourned until Monday when prosecutor Sarwono
will read his sentence appeal.
Last Thursday the West Jakarta District Court sentenced Ng Wi
Hon, alias Awi, 56, to 10 months imprisonment after finding him
guilty of trafficking Ecstasy pills.
The case, the first of its kind in Jakarta, followed an
intensive government campaign against the abuse of Ecstasy.
The government has been forced to use the 1992 Health Law to
prosecute people because Ecstasy is not yet classified as a
narcotic, and therefore is not covered under the 1976 Narcotics
Law. (28/bas)