Indonesian teacher faces death penalty for drug smuggling

[News_Editor]

Indonesian teacher faces death penalty for drug smuggling

2012-02-08 03:33:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

BALI, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- A female Indonesian teacher who was arrested on the Indonesian resort island of Bali late last year could face the death penalty after smuggling drugs with a street value of around $1 million, local media reported on Tuesday.

Theresia Avilla Yanti Siwi, 39, of Malang, East Java, was arrested on October 11 after arriving at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport on a Qatar Airways flight from Kenya. She was caught with 3.8 kilograms (8.3 pounds) of methamphetamine, which has a street value of around Rp 9.3 billion ($1 million).

Siwi was carrying the drugs in a hidden compartment in her luggage after being promised $700 for smuggling in the drugs. She was indicted on Monday at the Denpasar District Court in Bali and, with Indonesia's harsh 2009 Narcotics Law, she could now face the death penalty.

According to the Jakarta Globe, prosecutor Ketut Sukada told the court in the indictment that it is "very concerning" that Siwi is also a teacher because she tried to smuggle a large quantity of the illegal substance. Siwi was reportedly an English teacher.

Siwi's arrest led to the arrests of Erika Dewi Widya Yanti, who recruited the teacher, as well as that of Nurhadi Imron, who reportedly operated the meth distribution scheme in Indonesia. Authorities have also claimed that Nurhadi is behind several drug smuggling operations in Indonesian prisons such as Bali's Kerobokan and Jakarta's Pondok Bambu penitentiaries.

Both are expected to be tried next week.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-08

[coma]

Surely this lady will be spared the firing squad given that she gave up information that led to the arrests of the bigger players, Erika Dewi Widya Yanti and Nurhadi Imron.

And maybe the Indonesian government could look at this case and ask itself 'why are its teachers resorting to drug smuggling to supplement thier wages'?