Prosecutors say the death penalty is on the table for a South African woman on trial in Denpasar for smuggling meth into Bali by concealing the drug in her underwear.
The woman’s trial opened in Denpasar District Court on Tuesday.
The primary charge that 28-year-old lwethu Sizwekazi Mcinga is facing, is trafficking a type I narcotics weighing more than five grams into Indonesia.
“The act of the defendant is a violation of Indonesia’s Act No. 35 2009 Law on Narcotics, Article 113, Paragraph 2,” said district attorney, Fithrah, as quoted by Tribun Bali.
Mcinga also faces a secondary charge for possession.
The woman’s trial is set to pick up again next week with the examination of the prosecution’s witnesses.
Mcinga, who works as a hairdresser, was arrested at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport in February 2017.
It’s alleged that Mcinga met a man called “Mr. William” in Johannesburg in January 2017, who asked her on behalf of another man, “Mr. Victor,” to come to Indonesia in exchange for giving her money for a new passport.
Before traveling to Bali, Mcinga was allegedly outfitted with a corset, with three packs of meth attached to the her stomach and crotch area.
“After installing the drugs (on Mcinga), Mr. William drove the defendant to OR Tambo Airport, South Africa to be flow to Bali with transit in Doha, Qatar. The defendant arrived on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 11pm at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport,” Fitrah read from the woman’s indictment.
Upon landing in Bali, Customs and Excise performed a routine x-ray and found the woman’s awkward movements suspicious, so they brought her in for further inspection, the prosecutor said.
“After examining the defendant’s body, Customs and Excise officers found two clear plastic bags of crystals covered with taped in an abdominal corset worn by the defendant. Also, the officers found another bag containing crystals with brown duct tape hidden in her crotch,” the indictment read.
In total, the drugs ended up weighing 1.153 kg.
“From the results of interrogation, the defendant had been promised by Mr. Victor the amount of USD 3,500 if the defendant succeeded in carrying the drugs into Indonesia.”
“Mr. Victor” remains at large and is on Indonesia’s wanted list, according to Tribun Bali’s report.
