Fandi Ramadhan ABK in 2-Ton Sabu Smuggling Case Avoids Death Penalty, Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

Batam, VIVA – The panel of judges at the Batam District Court, Riau Islands (Kepri), has sentenced the Sea Dragon Terawa crew member, Fandi Ramadhan, to five years in prison in the case of smuggling methamphetamine weighing almost 2 tonnes.

‘The defendant is sentenced to five years in prison,’ said Chief Judge Tiwik at the Batam District Court, on Thursday.

In its decision, the panel stated that Fandi Ramadhan was legally and convincingly proven guilty of conspiring to commit a crime without right or against the law, having acted as an intermediary in the sale and purchase of Category I narcotics weighing more than 5 grams as charged in the primary indictment by the public prosecutor.

The sentence was lighter than the death-penalty demand previously made by the Public Prosecutor from the Batam State Prosecutor’s Office for six defendants in this case, including Fandi Ramadhan.

The panel’s verdict considered the prosecutors’ demands and the defence’s arguments, together with witness and expert testimony, and the evidence comprising 67 brown boxes wrapped in clear plastic.

Specifically, 66 boxes each contained 30 plastic sachets of green packaging tea from the Chinese brand Guanyinwang, with one sachet of narcotics concealed inside each.

Meanwhile, one additional box contained 20 plastic sachets of green Chinese-tea packaging containing crystallised powder of Class I narcotics.

The total net weight of the evidence reached 1,995,139 grams, or almost 2 tonnes.

The aggravating factors noted include that the narcotics quantity nearly reached 2 tonnes, raising fears that proximity to Indonesian territory could severely damage the nation’s future generations, and that the defendant did not support government efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking.

‘Mitigating factors include the defendant’s polite conduct during the trial and his young age, suggesting he may reform in the future,’ said Tiwik.

In its decision, the panel also considered Articles 114(2) in conjunction with Article 132(1) of Indonesian Law No. 35 of 2009; Law No. 8 of 1981 concerning the Penal Code; and Law No. 1 of 2023 concerning the Penal Code.

After delivering the verdict, the panel invited the defendant along with his counsel and the Public Prosecutor to provide responses.