Life sentence sought for African in Tangerang court

TANGERANG (JP): A prosecutor demanded on Thursday that the Tangerang District Court sentence an African to life imprisonment for allegedly attempting to smuggle one kilogram of heroin into the country from Pakistan.

Prosecutor Victor Silitonga said that defendant Namona Denis, 35, a resident of Malawi, Africa, had swallowed 73 capsules containing one kilogram of heroin and smuggled it into the country in April this year.

According to the prosecutor, Denis accepted a proposal from someone called Haifan at Hotel Embassy in Karachi on April 11 to deliver the heroin to Abjian in West Africa.

"But since the defendant had a visa to visit Indonesia and Haifan happened to have an acquaintance in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, the heroin owner then changed his mind and ordered the defendant to take the heroin to Indonesia," Victor said when reading out his 12-page sentence demand.

Victor said the defendant had admitted that he had been promised US$3,000 should he succeed in delivering the heroin to a man in Indonesia.

Denis reportedly then swallowed the 73 capsules one by one before boarding Singapore Airlines flight SQ-152 in Karachi and flying to Indonesia.

He arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on April 15.

Customs and excise officers Donny Harahap and Hendro Sumartito said they became suspicious upon noticing that the defendant looked nervous and was perspiring heavily. The two officers handed over Denis to a medical team. Further examination at the airport's Medika Center Hospital revealed that there were foreign objects in the defendant's stomach.

The defendant was made to defecate four times on April 16, upon which he expelled the one kilogram of heroin in 73 capsules.

Victor charged the defendant with violating Article 82 of Law No. 22/1997 on drugs. The article carries a maximum punishment of death.

"We conclude that the defendant is guilty and therefore should be given a life sentence," Victor told the court presided over by Judge Warsito.

Victor said the defendant's attempts to traffic drugs in the country could endanger Indonesian's lives and that his actions could also disgrace Indonesia's reputation worldwide and give other countries the impression that the majority of Indonesians were drug users.

The prosecutor also requested the court fine Denis Rp 50 million or sentence him to a further six months in jail.

The defendant, who looked upset, said he would prepare his defense statement for the next hearing on Aug. 22.

On Monday, the Tangerang court sentenced to death four foreigners -- two Nigerians, a Zimbabwean and a Nepalese, for attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.

The verdict was harsher than expected as the prosecutors had demanded that each of the defendants be given a life sentence. (41)