Sentenced to Five Years' Imprisonment, Medan Crew Member Fandi Ramadhan Escapes Death Penalty

Fandi Ramadhan has been sentenced to five years in prison in a case involving the smuggling of 1.9 tonnes of methamphetamine. The sentence is lighter than the demand of the public prosecutor (JPU), who sought the death penalty for Fandi. DetikSumut reported on Thursday (5 March 2026) that the ruling was read in a session at Batam District Court. The panel of judges, led by Chief Judge Tiwik with associate judges Douglas Napitupulu and Randi Jastian Afandi, stated that Fandi Ramadhan was proven guilty.

‘The defendant Fandi Ramadhan should be sentenced to five years in prison,’ said Chief Judge Tiwik when reading the verdict.

In their decision, the panel stated that Fandi Ramadhan was proven to have committed the offence of criminal conspiracy without right or in contravention of the law to act as an intermediary in the sale and purchase of Class I narcotics not derived from plants, weighing more than 5 grams, as charged in the prosecutor’s principal indictment.

The panel outlined several considerations before imposing the sentence. The aggravating factors include the very large amount of methamphetamine evidence in the case, nearly two tonnes. If circulated in Indonesia, the drug is feared to ruin the future of the nation’s generation. Additionally, the defendant was deemed not to support the government’s anti-drug-trafficking programme.

On the other hand, mitigating factors include the defendant’s polite conduct during the trial, no prior convictions, and his young age, suggesting there is still an opportunity to reform in the future.