Nepalese jailed for drugs

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court sentenced a Nepalese man yesterday to 13 years in jail for trafficking 1.2 kilograms of heroin.

Presiding judge Jalius Amin said the panel of judges believed the defendant, 23-year-old Budhe Tamang, had attempted to smuggle in the heroin from Bangkok in 143 capsules.

Jalius said the senior high school student had swallowed some of the capsules and put the remainder in his bag.

The defendant reportedly arrived here on April 22 and stayed at the Prapanca Hotel in South Jakarta. Budhe and a friend, identified as Aita Ram Tamang, were arrested by police the following day.

Aita was sentenced by the same court to eight months in jail for not reporting the heroin to police.

The panel of judges did not believe Budhe's statement that he received the capsules from a Nepalese friend, identified as Ghale, who visited him in the hotel, Jalius said.

Hotel officials claimed they did not see anybody visit Budhe during his stay in the hotel until he was arrested, he said.

Budhe earlier told the court that Ghale had advised him to seek medical treatment here for a lung illness.

He said Ghale gave him a bag that he said contained important medicine.

Jalius said Budhe was found guilty of violating Article 23 (4) of Law 9/1976 on narcotics.

He said the court found that Budhe's actions had damaged the government's efforts to rid the country of heroin trafficking.

"The judges are also considering the fact that Budhe is still young and that he might learn from his mistakes," he said.

Prosecutor Sugiyanto earlier asked the court to sentence the newly-wed man to death.

Both Sugiyanto and Budhe were still considering an appeal over the sentence.

However, Budhe reportedly thanked the judges for not sentencing him to death.

"But it's hard for me. I'm from a poor family," he said. (jun)