GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian High Court has sentenced an Indonesian woman to death for trafficking in more than 1.6kg of methamphetamine last year.
Yunita, 33, held her hands up to her face, bowed her head to her knees and broke down when Judicial Commissioner Datuk Nordin Hassan meted out the death.
Nordin found Yunita, who worked as a religious tour leader in Indonesia, guilty of trafficking in 1.67kg of the drug at the arrival hall of the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas at 9.30pm on July 9 last year.
The offence under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
In reading out his decision, Nordin said the prosecution had succeeded in proving its case beyond reasonable doubt.
He said the accused had the opportunity to check the contents of the backpack where the drugs were found when she put the belongings of her African boyfriend, known as Smith, inside.
“The accused also did not queue up for a Customs check upon arriving at the Penang International Airport on the pretext of wanting to go to the washroom. However, there are washrooms before the Customs checkpoint.
“When the Customs officer incised the backpack to reveal the packaged drug crystals which were sewn into the wall of the backpack, the accused said that it was syabu (methamphetamine) and claimed that she had friends in Indonesia who took syabu,” he added.