The Medan District Court has sentenced Junaidi Siagian to death for smuggling 53.3 kilograms of methamphetamines from Malaysia.
At the same hearing, Junaidi’s associate Elpi Darius was sentenced to life for taking part in the smuggling.
Earlier, prosecutors had demanded that the court sentence them both to death.
Presiding judge Gosen Butar-butar said the two defendants were found guilty of violating the 2009 Narcotics Law.
“There is nothing that mitigates the actions of the two defendants. Defendant Junaidi is sentenced with the death penalty and defendant Elpi Darius with life imprisonment,” Gosen said during the hearing on Tuesday.
Gosen said Junaidi was given a harsher sentence because he was found to be the mastermind behind the case, while Elpi was only following Junaidi’s orders.
The ruling drew emotional reactions from the defendants’ families, who were present in the courtroom, as well as from the defendants themselves.
Elpi kicked a chair, while Junaidi yelled threats at the prosecutors.
Junaidi also said he would appeal the sentence because he thought it was unfair.
“I don’t accept the judges’ decision. I will appeal. There were five of us but only I was sentenced to death, while my friends were not. One even got 17 years. Why is this?” he told reporters after the trial.
The drug smuggling case was first discovered by police at the end of 2018.
The smugglers’ supplier in Malaysia is still at large.
Source: Jakarta Post, Apriadi Gunawan, June 12, 2019
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