Australia woman to face death penalty in Malaysia over drug charges

Malaysia police say Australian woman, Nigerian man being held on drug charges.

An Australian woman arrested last week by Malaysia police is to face the death penalty on drug trafficking charges, legal officials told Bikyamasr.com on Monday.

“The Australia government has been informed of the arrest of their citizen and has been told that she will face the death penalty if convicted,” said the legal source, who was not authorized to speak to the media.

In Malaysia, anyone found in possession of 50 grammes of a drug or more is considered to be a trafficker, an offence for which the death sentence is mandatory.

Another Australian was detained and charged with trafficking in March.

The man, Dominic Bird, has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled to begin in November. While there is hope that he will be freed, history suggests foreigners get little reprieve from the Malaysian justice system.

The woman was arrested with a Nigerian man on suspicion of attempting to sell over 1 kilogram of methamphetamine.

Police officials told Bikyamasr.com on Saturday that the couple was arrested after police became suspicious of their vehicle and approached them, only to discover the drugs in the car.

Local reports said the woman, believed to be 34 and from Melbourne, will appear in the Jalan Duta Magistrates Court in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday.

Police said they had not yet decided whether to charge the pair under Section 39B of Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act, which carries the mandatory death penalty for possession of 50g or more of methamphetamine.

The Nigerian man has not been identified.

Source: Bikya Masr, July 30, 2012

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