Local drug trial defendant may face life

Local drug trial defendant may face life

JAKARTA (JP): State prosecutor Tengku Zakaria yesterday asked
Judge Tuaradja Siregar at the Central Jakarta District Court to
sentence Freddy A Thing to life imprisonment for his alleged
involvement in drug trafficking.

"Your honor I request you sentence defendant Freddy A Thing to
life imprisonment since court findings show that the defendant
participated in trafficking 29 kilograms of heroin in Indonesia,"
prosecutor Zakaria said.

The prosecutor said that the crime committed by Freddy, a
resident of Bekasi, and his two foreign accomplices endangered
the nation's development process and hampered Indonesia's efforts
to improve human resources.

The prosecutor acknowledged there were certain factors which
could justify lighter punishment for Freddy.

"Freddy is not the main criminal in this case. He has never
been involved in illegal drugs before, he regrets his involvement
and moreover he was the victim of a foreign drug syndicate," said
the prosecutor, who also asked the judge fine Freddy Rp 10
million (US$4,543).

Freddy, 45, looked nervous as the prosecutor read the sentence
request statement. He kept his head down during the session while
his wife, sitting at the back of the courtroom, could not hold
back her tears as she knew her husband, father of their two
children, might spend the rest of his life in prison.

Freddy was captured by the police in Hotel Indonesia, Central
Jakarta, on May 11, as he and two accomplices, his Thai national
cousin Sae Lim Iaw, and Tham Tuck Yin alias A Tjai, a Malaysian,
were presenting a sample of the heroin to a potential buyer.

In the previous court session Freddy told the judge that he
was involved in the case because Sae Lim Iaw alias Boon Tan,
who until January last year he hadn't met for more than 20 years,
entrusted him with some valuables.

"Boon Tan and A Tjai visited me in January and entrusted me to
watch over his belongings, which they identified only as white
delicate things," Freddy said, adding that Boon Tan promised to
pick up the goods, which turned out to be heroin, after three
days.

The heroin was then stored at Freddy's house on Jl. Patriot in
Bekasi.

Freddy said that Boon Tan promised him Rp 100 million if the
heroin was sold, and threatened to kill his family if he reported
the heroin to the police.

According to Freddy, he later learnt that the heroin was owned
by a Thai man named Thamanoon Saepho, who had ordered A Tjai to
transport it by small boat to Belawan Port, Medan in North
Sumatra before bringing it by bus to the capital.

Freddy said he insisted that Boon Tan and A Tjai remove the
heroin from his house but they repeatedly replied, "Not until we
find prospective buyers."

Prosecutor Rochayatun Argasasmita requested the judge sentence
A Tjai to death last month. The request was granted on Jan. 17,
while prosecutor Meity Joseph requested the judge give Boon Tan
the same sentence. He was given life imprisonment instead.

The drug raid was the biggest heroin bust in Indonesian
history. The second largest drug haul was recorded seven years
ago in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, when the police captured a
Thai national with 17.7 kilograms of heroin. (mas)