Indonesians sentenced to death for trafficking

Indonesians sentenced to death for trafficking

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Two Indonesian men, who had entered
Malaysia to work illegally, were sentenced to death by a Kuala
Lumpur court Tuesday for drug trafficking, reports said
yesterday.

The High Court passed the sentence on Tarmizi Yacob, 25, and
Bustaman Bukhari, 23, after finding them guilty of trafficking
2.99 kilograms of cannabis in April last year.

The men were arrested after they fled from police in downtown
Kuala Lumpur.

In their defense, they claimed they ran away because they were
illegal immigrants, which meant under Malaysian immigration law
they would have been detained and deported.

However, Tarmizi was caught with a bag containing cannabis and
witnesses during the trial said the two men were discussing the
sale of the drug before they were caught.

Malaysia, a favorite transit point for drug-smuggling
syndicates from Myanmar and Thailand, imposes a mandatory death
sentence by hanging for convicted drug traffickers.