Kuala Lumpur: Two Germans and a Moroccan man
are facing the death penalty on charges of smuggling more than 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds) of methamphetamine into Malaysia, known for its strict anti-drug laws.
A district court near the Kuala Lumpur International
Airport charged the three men on January 13 with drug
trafficking, said a customs official who declined to be named.
Airport officials arrested the men arriving from Istanbul
on January 1 after finding 10.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine
hidden in the bags they were carrying, the official said
today.
He said no plea had been recorded from the three pending
the case`s transfer to a high court once a chemist report on
the drugs is ready.
The two Germans have parents from Afghanistan but were
born in Germany, while the Moroccan has lived in Germany for
15 years, the official said.
Authorities in the Southeast Asian country went on "red
alert" late last year following a surge in arrests and drug
seizures, tightening passenger and luggage screening.
Despite Malaysia`s strict laws -- death by hanging is the
mandatory penalty for drug trafficking convictions -- Kuala
Lumpur airport authorities last year seized some 195 kilogrammes (430 pounds) of drugs and held more than 30 people.
Smugglers have traditionally arrived from Africa and the
Middle East but are increasingly coming from countries such as
Turkey and the Philippines, according to officials.
A high court sentenced a 23-year-old Iranian mechanic to
death Monday for trafficking 1.4 kilogrammes of
methamphetamine two years ago, according to the official
Bernama news agency.
Several other Europeans, including two from Britain, one
from the Netherlands and one from France, were arrested in
drug raids in Malaysia and charged with trafficking in
November.
In October, a Malaysian court sentenced a Japanese women
to death for smuggling methamphetamine into the country in
what officials said was the first such case involving a
citizen of Japan.
PTI
