Prosecutors at the Tangerang District Court sought the death sentence for three foreigners convicted of smuggling cocaine into the country through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in February.Prosecutors Teuku Rahman and Haryadi said in a hearing Thursday evening the defendants, a Thai woman, Thitirat Charoensuk, 24, and two British men, Michael Anthony Guevara, 34, and John Patrick Patton, 52, were proven guilty of smuggling the drugs. The prosecutors said the defendants violated Article 82 of the 1997 Drug Law. The article carries a maximum penalty of execution.
"The defendants intentionally smuggled 515 grams of cocaine into the country," Teuku Rahman told the panel of judges presided over by Haryono, with two other members Barmen Sinurat and Arthur Hangewa. He said Guevara and Patton were the owners of the cocaine, and had asked the Thai woman to take the drugs to Indonesia. The defendants were shocked to hear the penalty demand. Charoensuk fainted. The defendants were arrested soon after their arrival at the airport on Feb. 20. Customs and excise officers became suspicious after Charoensuk appeared to be nervous at the customs check point. After being examined, officers found drugs estimated to be worth Rp 2 billion (US$181,000) hidden in a bag she was carrying. An interrogation led officers to arrest Michael Anthony and his Thai girlfriend Naksri, who flew from Thailand to Jakarta on the same flight. "Naksri was released later because she was not involved in the smuggling attempt," Eko Darmanto, chief of intelligence at the Customs office, said Friday. The police subsequently learned of the alleged receiver's address and arrested John Patrick Patton in Cilandak, South Jakarta, seizing eight grams of cocaine from him. The presiding judge postponed the hearing until Monday to hear the defendants' lawyer Husin Tuhuteru read out the defense.
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