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.