Singaporean gets 12 years for ecstasy trafficking

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The Tangerang District Court sentenced a Singaporean citizen on Thursday to 12 years imprisonment and fined him Rp 500 million (US$54,945) for possessing 20,800 ecstasy pills when he was arrested at Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in May.

Presiding judge Suprapto said defendant Tay Lai Hock, 31, had been found guilty beyond all reasonable doubt of illegally possessing and transporting the drugs.

The sentence was three years less than that recommended by prosecutor R. Vidiatno.

The judge cited several mitigating factors in the defendant's favor, namely, that he was young, and had been cooperative and honest during the trail.

The prosecution had charged the defendant with violating Article 59 of Law No. 5/1997 on psychotropic substances, and had recommended a 15-year prison term and a Rp 750 million fine -- the maximum punishments provided for under the article.

Hock was arrested at the airport's Terminal II before he flew to Sydney.

Security officers decided to search him after the metal detector at the boarding gate sounded as he passed through it.

The officers found four plastic bags containing the ecstasy pills strapped around the Hock's body.

Hock testified that he was to have handed over the pills to a man called John in Sydney and had been promised S$20,000 (US$11,954) in return for his efforts.

Both the prosecution and the defendant said they would consider whether or not to lodge an appeal.

Hock said "Thank you, judge" upon learning the verdict. He said he was relieved that he was not being sent to death row.

"Capital punishment is only for heroin and cocaine cases," Judge Suprapto told the defendant as he shook his hand after pronouncing sentence.