Trial of drug smuggler begins

Trial of drug smuggler begins

TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang District Court in Banten commenced
on Thursday the trial of a man charged with being part of an
operation to smuggle 40 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal
amphetamine) worth Rp 12 billion from Hong Kong.

State prosecutor Asnawi told the court in the indictment that
Robert, alias Kenken, 32, was caught by police at Ibis Dua Hotel
parking lot in West Jakarta on Nov. 2, 2000.

The defendant, the prosecutor said, was arrested when he was
about to pick up the contraband at Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport as instructed by the sender, identified as Mr. Chaike
from Hong Kong.

According to Asnawi the shabu-shabu was kept in a gravestone
which was sent to Indonesia on Oct. 30 of last year.

Two men identified as Tony Setiawan and Hermansyah promised to
help the defendant pick up the 'gravestone' at the airport.

"The defendant neither saw Tony and Hermansyah nor the
gravestone," the prosecutor said, adding that the airport's tax
and excise officers had already examined the gravestone and found
that it contained some 40 kilograms of shabu-shabu.

The defendant left the airport and was caught at the hotel
parking lot. He faces a maximum five-year jail term. (41/sur)