Drug trafficker gets 15-year jail term

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court sentenced on Tuesday a 25-year-old man to 15 years in jail for possessing and trafficking 160 kilogram of marijuana.

Presiding Judge Muchtar Ritonga's sentence was two-years lighter than the 17-year term sought by prosecutor Normalina Sihotang.

The court also ordered the prosecutor to destroy the 160 kilogram marijuana which had been seized.

Ritonga said that defendant Marzuki Yakub al Ricky had violated Articles 78 and 82 of Law No. 22/1997 on psychotropic drugs.

"His actions can ruin the mentality and morality of the nation's young generation, but he did not show any remorse during the trial," Ritonga said.

Defendant Marzuki, who was not accompanied by a lawyer during the trial said that he accepted the verdict and calmly signed the ruling.

Prosecutor Normalina said the panel of judges had properly sentenced the defendant.

"The verdict is adequate," she said while suggesting the defendant not appeal the verdict.

According to the prosecutor, the defendant was arrested by two police officers on Oct. 18 last year in Lenteng Agung subdistrict, South Jakarta.

After receiving information that the defendant was trafficking large amounts of marijuana, two officers went undercover, pretending to buy 20 kilograms of marijuana from the defendant at a price of Rp 24 million.

After Marzuki was apprehended during the sale, a subsequent search of his house revealed another 140 kilograms of marijuana had been hidden away.(01)