Judge examines heroin smuggled from Thailand

Judge examines heroin smuggled from Thailand

JAKARTA (JP): Judge Tuaraja Siregar examined 29 kilograms of
heroin at the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's Office yesterday as
evidence in the trial of Freddy A Thing, a local man allegedly
involved in smuggling the contraband.

"I needed to inspect the heroin firsthand because I wanted to
see if the defendant, Freddy, would acknowledge it as evidence in
this case. The inspection is also necessary in helping to make a
verdict," Judge Tuaraja said.

Judge Tuaraja said he had to inspect the drug at the
prosecutor's office to maintain the security surrounding "such
dangerous court evidence".

"It will be safer if I come here rather than taking the heroin
to the court," he said.

The judge denied allegations that the inspection was done
because a Jakarta daily reported in December that some of the
packages of heroin were missing.

"I have counted each pack by myself," he said, adding that the
inspection was merely a routine procedure, which had to be done
before the prosecutor's sentencing request session.

Prosecutor Tengku Zakaria is scheduled to read his sentence
request on Jan. 24.

During the inspection, the judge asked Freddy if he recognized
the heroin and Freddy said yes. He also showed Judge Tuaraja the
bags which were used to carry the drug.

The heroin was confiscated by the police during a raid in
Hotel Indonesia, Central Jakarta, on May 11 last year. when
Freddy and his two foreign accomplices were showing six packs
from the 60 packages containing a total of 29 kilograms to a
potential buyer.

The other 54 packages of heroin were subsequently discovered
at Freddy's house.

Freddy has said in his trial that the heroin was transported
to Medan, North Sumatra, from Thailand in January by one of
Freddy's friends, Tham Tuck Yin, alias A Tjai, a Malaysian, under
the orders of a Thai national named Thamanoon Saepho.

Thamanoon, who is still at large, is believed to be the owner
of the heroin.

A Tjai was allegedly ordered by Thamanoon to take a bus to
Jakarta with the heroin. He later hid it at Freddy's house in
Bekasi.

The heroin was stashed there until May. 11, 1994, when Freddy,
A Tjai and Sae Lim Iaw, alias Boon Tan, a Thai national, also
believed to be one of Thamanoon's men, took it to Hotel Indonesia
and to show to a buyer named A Heng.

A Heng was reportedly an undercover Interpol officer.

It was the biggest heroin bust in Indonesian history. The
second largest haul was recorded seven years ago in Samarinda,
East Kalimantan, when the police seized 17.7 kilograms of heroin.

On Tuesday, Judge Leo Hutagalung of the Central Jakarta
District Court sentenced A Tjai to death. Prosecutor Meity Yosef
has requested that the judge punish Boon Tan in the same manner.
The verdict will be read next Monday.

During the inspection trip yesterday, Judge Tuaraja said that
he has never sentenced anyone to death since he started his
career as judge in 1965.

"But I am not against capital punishment because it is
included in the Criminal Code," he said.(mas)