Two Dutch nationals on trial for Ecstasy smuggling

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): Two Dutch nationals were tried in the Tangerang District Court yesterday for trying to smuggle more than 7,000 Ecstasy pills into Indonesia.

Prosecutor Arminsyah said the Dutchmen, identified only as AMT (49) and IMT (48), along with an Indonesian man, Rus (46) tried to smuggle 7,136 Ecstasy pills through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on April 7 this year.

They are the second and third Dutchmen the Tangerang District Court has tried for Ecstasy dealing.

The first Dutch defendant is ATS who is being tried for smuggling 3,900 Ecstasy pills from Holland on April 9, 1996.

According to Arminsyah, the 7,136 pills were brought from the Netherlands by AMT on a KLM flight.

The pills were stashed in eight packs which were put in a bag. The bag was then put into his boots. "The boots were hidden in his suitcase," the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said Rus and IMT took the bag as AMT got off the plane. The bag was then to be taken by Rus through a special gate for customs officers.

"Rus has a pass to use the gate as an official of a paper factory in Aceh," the indictment said.

After the defendants succeeded in taking the bag containing the pills, they put the bag and other items into a trolley. "Customs and Excise officials stopped them as AMT had not yet had his passport checked. They were then ordered to have their belongings checked, the prosecutor said.

Realizing the situation was dangerous, Rus escaped. He was caught on April 16.

The prosecutor said the smuggling attempt was the result of a discussion between IMT and a man identified as Maspion in Tangerang's Terminal One disco.

Last week the Tangerang District Court sentenced a businessman to eight months jail after finding him guilty of attempting to traffic more than 700 Ecstasy pills.

This was the first penalty meted out by the court in an Ecstasy case. Six other people are in Tangerang police custody awaiting trial on charges of selling and distributing the mood- altering drug.

Presiding Judge Mrs. Marni Emmy said before handing down the verdict that Andreas Phiong alias Afon was guilty of trying to traffic 711 Ecstasy pills which he stashed in the drawer of his Isuzu Panther car parked in the Soekarno-Hatta Airport compound on March 26.

Police officers who apprehended the defendant also found Rp 7.5 million cash in the drawer.

"By attempting to distribute the drug which is not registered with the ministry of health, the defendant has breached the law No.25/1992," Marni said.

The sentence is a far cry from the maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rp 300 million. But it was what Prosecutor R. Saragih demanded.

The team of judges ordered the police to destroy the pills and return the money found in the car to the defendant. The judges also ordered his car, which police impounded, to be returned to the defendant.

The defendant promptly accepted the verdict and said "No" when asked by the presiding judge if he would appeal. (28/bas/sur)