Senin, 28 Mei 2012

British housewife, 56, arrested for 'smuggling cocaine worth £1.6million on to Indonesian island of Bali'

British housewife, 56, arrested for 'smuggling cocaine worth £1.6million on to Indonesian island of Bali'

  • Drugs weighing 4.7kg found in lining of woman's suitcase at airport
  • Police believe three Britons and an Indian man were waiting on the island to receive the haul
  • Officials said Lindsay Sandiford was part of 'big international network'
  • They said that despite her 'unassuming appearance' she had worked for the narcotics syndicate for a long time
  • Maximum sentence for drug trafficking in Indonesia is death by firing squad
  • More than 140 criminals are currently on death row in the country
  • Bali was once a haven for drugs but in the past ten years the authorities have cracked down on such crimes

By Richard Shears

PUBLISHED: 03:47 EST, 28 May 2012 | UPDATED: 05:57 EST, 28 May 2012

Four Britons were today facing the death penalty after being arrested in Bali for allegedly smuggling cocaine worth £1.6million on to the Indonesian island.

Lindsay Sandiford a 56-year-old housewife from Redcar, in the north-east of England, was picked up by police after allegedly entering the country from Bangkok with the drugs in the lining of her suitcase.

A younger British woman, two British men and an Indian national were arrested at the same time. Police believe they were waiting on the island to receive the haul, which weighed 4.7 kilograms (11 pounds).

Distressed: Alleged drug trafficker identified as Lindsay Sandiford in front of the huge pile of cocaine at the Customs Office in Denpasar, Bali, today

Distressed: Alleged drug trafficker identified as Lindsay Sandiford in front of the huge pile of cocaine at the Customs Office in Denpasar, Bali, today

'Conspirators': A younger British woman, centre, and three others suspected of being on hand to receive the drugs were arrested and dressed in prison uniforms with their faces covered by black balaclavas

'Conspirators': A younger British woman, centre, and three others suspected of being on hand to receive the drugs were arrested and dressed in prison uniforms with their faces covered by black balaclavas

Mrs Sandiford was arrested at the airport in Bali's capital city Denpasar and later appeared at a press conference in nearby Kuta, flanked by Indonesian customs officers and apparently trying to cover her face with her hands.

Her four fellow suspects were dressed like Mrs Sandiford in orange prison uniforms, but had their faces covered by black balaclavas.

Customs official Made Wijaya said today that the woman arrived in on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok on May 19 and that her crime could carry a maximum penalty of death by firing squad.

'This is a big international network,' he added, as three other Britons and an Indian national were being questioned.

Paraded: Three Britons and an Indian national were seen dressed in ill-fitting orange outfits and flip-flops after their arrests

Paraded: Three Britons and an Indian national were seen dressed in ill-fitting orange outfits and flip-flops after their arrests

'We are working hard to stop these type of international smugglers bringing their drugs into Bali and harming our people.

'If this woman, and anyone else who is subsequently charged, is found guilty, the punishment will be the death penalty.'

In an ominous comment, which suggested that Mrs Sandiford had a long battle ahead of her, Mr Wijaya said that her innocent appearance was deceptive.

'Despite what you see as a seemingly unassuming appearance, we believe that she has been part of a internatio nal narcotics syndicate for a long time,' he said.

He revealed that police were interrogating an Indian national suspected of being Mrs Sandiford's alleged drug-smuggling accomplice.

The British housewife today Lindsay Sandiford

Humiliated: The British housewife covered her face with her hand today after she was arrested at Bali's international airport after alighting from an aeroplane

He said the drugs had been found in the lining of the woman's suitcase at the airport, adding: 'We conducted an X-ray scan on the luggage, found a suspicious substance in it and then examined it.'

The customs officers put the drugs haul on display at the press conference, with officers in black masks escorting the frightened looking woman, who was dressed in a standard-issue orange T-shirt and still wearing her glasses and jewellery.

In a deliberate move to shame suspected smugglers, customs officials parade them before the local press - which happened to Mrs Sandiford when she was ordered to sit at a table today surrounded by packages of the suspected drug.

Shamed: The suspected smugglers are lined up in front of the media, all with their faces covered aside from Mrs Sandiford

Shamed: The suspected smugglers are lined up in front of the media, all with their faces covered aside from Mrs Sandiford

Strict laws: Smuggling drugs on to the Indonesian island can result in a maximum penalty of death by firing squad

Strict laws: Smuggling drugs on to the Indonesian island can result in a maximum penalty of death by firing squad

Customs officials opened the package with a knife, revealing white powder.

Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and convicted smugglers can be executed, with more than 140 people currently on death row, a third of them foreigners.

Bali was once a haven for drugs but in the past ten years the authorities have cracked down on the importation of narcotics and anyone found with more than a few grams of Class A drugs faces death.

One of the most famous Western detainees is 35-year-old Australian Schapelle Corby, who was convicted of smuggling 9.2lbs of marijuana on to the island.

On show: The suspect accused of hiding 4.7kg (11lbs) of cocaine in her luggage is led through a custom office in Denpasar, Bali

On show: The suspect accused of hiding 4.7kg (11lbs) of cocaine in her luggage is led through a custom office in Denpasar, Bali

She is serving a 20-year sentence, which has been reduced in recent months, and she hopes to receive parole by 2015.

Last November, a 14-year-old Australian boy was sentenced to two months in a brutal jail on the holiday island for alleged possession of marijuana.

Two members of Australian drug smuggling gang the 'Bali Nine', arrested in 2005, are on death row, while seven others face lengthy jail terms.

In February, 53-year-old Jack Walker from Greater Manchester, was given a reprieve when he w as told he would not face the death penalty after allegedly being caught with a large quantity of crystal meth.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are aware of the arrest in Bali, and we stand ready to provide consular assistance.'

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

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Now thats the right way to deal with this drug smuggling scum. Firing squad - job done ! Now wait for the do gooders to say she should be returned to the UK to serve her sentence - I dont want to pay for this drug smuggling scum bag !

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I don't think the article gives her side of the story (if there is one). If she knowingly tried to smuggle the drugs and was doing it for her own benefit, she deserves what she's getting. On the other hand, there could be all sorts of factors involved - intimidation, blackmail, threats, etc. I'd like to hear what she has to say.

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If she is guilty then Indonesia might have the right idea with long sentences , I am sorry but I would like to see the UK adopt harsher sentencing and not the soft slap on the wrist the UK dishes out in our courts.

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oh dear.

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I don't believe in the death penalty BUT however desperate she was, she knew the risk she was running; as well as supporting organised crime, dealing in addiction and potential death to the drug's customers. Some countries have extremely strict laws because devastating effect addiction has had on society there. If she was duped, then she was just very very stupid. Any reasonable person would know not to carry a bag that was not your own and that you hadn't packed yourself. No doubt she will be looking to the British Govt to get her out.

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Well, if she's guilty, then she must pay the penalty for her crime. Travelling to an from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and China, the rules are laid down very clearly in the on-flight mag. Sorry, and no doubt there are numerous sad tales and mitigating circumstances, but that's the way it is. We should do the same for al people, including foreign nationals, that break our laws.

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If she does get the death penalty, I only hope to God she is guilty and not a scapegoat for someone else. And why is the bloke behind her smiling in the first picture???

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You see Indonesian officials may seem "lame".... but damn theyre as sneaky as the devil. My condolences to her children.

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Something not quite right here...all that in a lining of a suitcase...it must have been one hell of a suitcase....

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If this is correct - as in not a plant or a miscarriage of justice - I hope that HMG does NOT waste any of its credibility pleading for clemency "just because she's a British National". If you break the laws in a foreign country you are subject to THEIR justince and penalties. IF ONLY foreign nationals in THIS country were treated 'equally with the rest of us.

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