JAKARTA: The Denpasar District Court declared an Indian national guilty on Monday for attempting to smuggle drugs into Indonesia’s most-famous tourist destination, the island of Bali, and sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment.
The court ruled that 29-year-old Sayed Muhammad Said was guilty of attempting to smuggle 1.1 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, locally known as sabu-sabu, presiding Judge Dewa Gede Suarditha told the court.
“The defendant has violated the Narcotics Law on importing drugs,” Suarditha said.
The verdict is lighter than the 20-year sentence sought by prosecutors.
The court also imposed an Rp 1 billion (US$74,963) fine on Said, or an additional three months imprisonment should he fail to pay the fine.
Said’s attorney M. Rifan said his client had not yet decided whether he would appeal the verdict.
Ngurah Rai International Airport Customs officers arrested Said, who worked as a sailor, upon his arrival at the airport on an Air Asia flight that departed from Bangkok, Thailand on Sept. 5 last year. Officers became suspicious after observing Said’s body language as he collected his luggage in the arrival terminal.
As his luggage went through the airport’s X-ray machine, customs officers noticed a suspicious package inside, and later found a plastic bag of crystal methamphetamine covered in black tape.
