Drug dealer gets jail sentence and fine

TANGERANG (JP): After postponing the reading of the verdict twice, the Tangerang District Court finally sentenced on Monday a drug dealer to seven years and six months in jail and Rp 2 million in fines.

Presiding judge Silverster Djuma said that after questioning seven witnesses and examining the evidence, the panel of judges found the defendant, Robert alias Ken Ken, guilty of smuggling 40 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) into the country from Hong Kong.

"Therefore, there is no reason to free the defendant," judge Djuma told the court.

Among mitigating factors, Djuma said that defendant was polite during the hearing; that he was still young and could still be expected to improve his behavior and that he had never been sent to prison before.

The court had postponed reading out its verdict twice due to defendant's poor health.

Earlier, prosecutor Asnawi said that the defendant through his fictitious trading company, PT Sarana Export-Import Indograha, had imported 40 kilograms of shabu-shabu from a businessman identified only as Chaike in October last year.

Ken Ken, 32, a resident on Jl. Mangga Besar 11, Tangki subdistrict, Central Jakarta, was arrested at Ibis hotel in Slipi, West Jakarta on Nov. 1, 2000 and then detained at the men's penitentiary in Tangerang.

Meanwhile, the head of the defense lawyers, Irwan Kristanto, said they had not yet made any decision whether to appeal to the higher court.

"We will discuss it with Ken Ken first," he said while leaving the courtroom still full of journalists. (01)