Drug smugglers 'deserve death'

Drug smugglers 'deserve death'

TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang Mayor HM Thamrin expressed his
support on Tuesday for stiff sentences imposed on drug smugglers
by the local court.

"Drug smugglers deserve the heaviest punishment. They cause
the decay of the moral fiber of the younger generation ... death
sentences are fitting," Thamrin told reporters after an
installation ceremony of a customs chief at the Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport.

Thamrin was speaking in reference to the death sentences
imposed on three Indonesian drug smugglers by the Tangerang
District Court on Tuesday last week.

"With this punishment, people will think twice before daring
to smuggle drugs into or out of Indonesia," he said.

Judge Asep Iwan Irawan of the Tangerang District Court handed
down the death sentence to defendants Deni Setya Maharwan, 28,
Ranni Andriani, 25, and Merika Franola alias Ola, 30, for being
part of an international drug ring and attempting to smuggle
cocaine out of Indonesia.

Thamrin added that he could only hope that the customs and
excise division at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport would
be as professional as the district court when dealing with
smugglers.

"The filtering process of baggage and air passengers at the
international airport deserves professional treatment," Thamrin
said. (41/ylt)