Drug dealer sentenced to 13 years in prison

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

One of Bali's biggest drug dealers was jailed for 13-years on Friday after the Denpasar Public Court found him guilty of drug possession.

"We found that the defendant, Isaac Thayeb, is guilty of having various narcotic substances in his possession, and also guilty of having various illegal psychotropic substances in his possession," chief judge Ketut Sudarma said.

The four-member panel of judges, which also included Sudarma, Dewa Made Puspa, and Lilik Mulyadi, also fined Thayeb Rp 75 million and ordered him to pay court costs of Rp 5,000.

In his verdict Ketut Sudarma stressed that the 48-year-old defendant was not guilty of drug distribution or manufacturing, which were more serious offenses that carried heavier sentences.

This would be the second prison term for Thayeb, who in 1996 was sentenced to a mere 14-month prison term for possession of some 20,000 ecstasy pills.

The team of public prosecutors, that originally sought a 16- year prison term and Rp 100 million fine, said that they would review the verdict before deciding on a response.

"We appreciate the judges' efforts on this case, and for the time being we will deliberate on the verdict before deciding whether we will accept it or submit an appeal," chief prosecutor Banjar Nahor said.

On the other hand, the defendant's lawyers were disappointed with the verdict, saying that they would immediately submit an appeal motion to the High Court.

"I think the sentence is too heavy and severe, considering that the prosecutors failed to prove that the drugs belonged to Isaac, and considering the fact that somebody else had already confessed to be the real owner of the drugs," the lawyer Pieter Lopulalan said.

Thayeb, who had been on the police's hit list for years, was arrested in his house at dawn on June 9, 2001. The police found 528 ecstasy pills, 878.2 grams of powdered and crystal methamphetamine, 118 grams of hashish, 1.3 grams of dried cannabis, 3.3 grams of heroin and 5.9 grams of Diasepam and Nitrasepam powder.

"He is one of the four biggest drugs dealers currently operating in Bali. We have been trying to nail him for such a long time, but he is a very intelligent and elusive man," a senior police officer said.

In the house the police also found various drugs-related paraphernalia, and several small machines, reportedly used by the defendant to manufacture ecstasy pills.