SHAH ALAM: Malaysian High Court has sentenced to death penalty a Thai woman who was founded guilty of trafficking drugs, here the other day.
Duangchit Khonthokhonbari, 33, who had been working in Malaysia as a maid, was caught with 2.81 kilogrammes (6.2 pounds) of methamphetamine at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in March last year.
Anyone with at least 50 grams of methamphetamine is considered a trafficker in Malaysia and subject to the death penalty.
Defence lawyers could not be reached for immediate comment, but Duangchit is expected to appeal against the death sentence, which is carried out by hanging in Malaysia.
The verdict comes just days after an Australian mother-of-four, Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, was also charged with drug trafficking in Malaysia.
A customs check at the airport on December 7 discovered 1.5 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, or “ice,” in a hidden compartment in her bag.
Her lawyers insist she was innocently duped into carrying a bag that appeared to contain only clothing by a stranger in Shanghai.
Exposto is due to appear in court again on January 23, when a chemist’s report on the suspected drugs will be submitted.
