Don't bring the ganja into Indonesia! (nsr)

[natty dread]

Or get caught unknowingly smuggling someone else's, as she claims happened. Holy crap. Sucks to be her. At least they didn't sentence her to the firing squad, in case they find out she wasn't guilty in a few years. This case would likely have been dismissed in the US because of the poor handling of the evidence alone.
For more info: http://www.gabriellereillyweekly.com..._home_page.htm

Bali Court Sentences Australian to 20 Years in Drug Case

By RAYMOND BONNER
Published: May 27, 2005
JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 27 - A drug smuggling case that has created anger across Australia came to a climax today when a 27-year-old Australian woman was found guilty of trying to bring nine pounds of marijuana into Bali and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Schapelle Corby, a 27-year-old Australian, was found guilty of trying to bring nine pounds of marijuana into Bali and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The reading of the verdict, to a packed courtroom in Bali, was carried live on Australian television and radio. The three judges who heard the case could have sentenced the defendant, Schapelle Corby, to be executed, a fate met by many foreigners convicted of drug offenses in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.

Ms. Corby claims the marijuana, which customs officials found in her luggage when she landed in Denpassar last October, had been put there by baggage handlers during her flight, which began in Brisbane and transited through Sydney.

Southeast Asian countries have strict drug laws, and airport signs, arrival cards and announcements by airlines, warn travelers about the consequences of being caught with drugs; trials of foreigners on drug charges are routine, and the imposition of death sentences for the convicted are not exceptional.

Ms. Corby's supporters included the Australian government, which paid part of her defense, leading to accusations that Australia was interfering in the Indonesian judicial system in a way that Australians would never tolerate another country doing in their own country.

Underlying the "hysteria" and "Indonesia-bashing," words used by The Australian in a recent editorial, was a tinge of racism, and a disdainful view of Indonesia as a country of corrupt politicians and Islamic terrorists.

Responding to public pressure, the Australian government, under Prime Minister John Howard, sent a letter to the court saying that the government was investigating corrupt baggage handlers. The opposition leader, Kim Beazley, also made statements suggesting Ms. Corby was innocent.

In response, The Sydney Morning Herald said in an editorial that Mr. Howard and Mr. Beazley "are pandering to Australian public opinion."

If the Indonesian public and officials acted in a similar manner were an Indonesian on trial in Australia, Australians "would be insulted and angry - no, outraged," the editorial said.

Based on the evidence presented, a Melbourne law professor, Tim Lindsey, said he thought the judges reached the right decision.

"The evidence we've seen isn't particularly strong in favor of her innocence," Mr. Lindsey, director of the Asia Law Center, at the University of Melbourne, told the Channel Nine television station.

Both sides said they would appeal. The prosecution can seek an increase in the length of the sentence.

The Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, announced that the government would send lawyers to help Ms. Corby with her appeal. He also said the government was discussing a prisoner swap with Indonesia, which would allow Ms. Corby to serve her sentence in Australia.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, I saw her sobbing on the tube about a few weeks ago. My immediate question was, and I assume it was asked in the trial, is what was going to happen to that weed once she "discovered" it in the bag. like, "ay, matey, what's this? must have been those mobsters or corrupt baggage handlers again. let's notfy the proper authorities!" right - dumbass

[Below Zero]

"IT'S ONLY WEED"

That's what I would be mumbling to myself for those 20 years!

So sad!

[kev259]

9 pounds?!?! What! She's tring to say they planted it on her? Maybe they did, but still alittle far fetched...

[13]

9 pounds is an awful lot of weed.

Too little information given by the article but jeebus, the death penalty?!

It wouldn't surprise me if it was the baggage handlers, here's why:
Unless it was shrink-wrapped (which I doubt), you'd need a pretty damn big set of luggage -- I'm thinking 2 duffels at least. You'd think the person checking the bags at the departure point would wonder why a set of luggage weighed so little even though the bags were full.

[truth]

Indonesians are all corupt baggage handling terrorists. We should revoke all Tsunami relief and invade ASAP using ninja Koala's from the Austrailian special forces.

[dbp]

Sounds a lot like Brokedown Palace

[cj001f]

Corrupt baggage handlers? Not in Australia!

[kev259]

Man, if she really got setup I feel really bad That's just crazy.

[13]

Wow, there was some excellent evidence handling in this case.

[A-wreck]

Aaaaand the Bali night club bomber got two years in prison. If that's not fucked up I don't know what is.



And I guess she had the weed in a boogie board bag.
And nine pounds of weed does not take up that much space.

[freshie247]

Maybe she should've opted for the muslim tradition of gang rape in front of entire village instead of the 20 years.

[DaveTV]

http://www.freeschapelle.com/
Fuck them - after all Australia did to help them after the Tsunami. Like someone said, WHY would someone bring weed INTO Indonesia? Doesn't make sense.

[Spats]

Looks like someone from the smuggling operation in the baggage room either forgot to pick up their dope, or put it on the wrong flight.

This could totally happen in the USA, especially now that the TSA is required to open EVERY BAG when you travel by air. You can't lock them or they break the lock open. There have always been baggage theft rings in major airports -- except now the big money is in smuggling, not stealing cameras.

Note to world travelers: make sure to balance luggage and cargo so that all bags are TOTALLY FULL when traveling -- including the ski bags. They can't put nine pounds of dope in there if there's no room.

[iceman]

Note to world travelers: make sure to balance luggage and cargo so that all bags are TOTALLY FULL when traveling -- including the ski bags. They can't put nine pounds of dope in there if there's no room.

Dude, some guy smuggling dope in bags wouldn't just pull some shit out and throw it away so he could replace it with dope?

Okey doke.

[Boundary Rider1]

When the Indonesian customs department found the dope in her board bag , they did not finger print it or do any forensics on the weed until several days later , after it had been passed through so many peoples hands!. Also, a prisoner in jail in Australia came forward with information that a fellow prisoner had connections to a smuggling ring operating out of Brisbane airport. They even flew him over and allowed him to give evidence, which the Indonesians dismissed. I feel that this woman has not had a fair hearing. Its been quite a emotive issue for many months.

God knows what is going to happen to the Nine Aussies , who where caught with many Kg's of Heroin strapped to there bodies.

[skea 457]

Also, a prisoner in jail in Australia came forward with information that a fellow prisoner had connections to a smuggling ring operating out of Brisbane airport. They even flew him over and allowed him to give evidence, which the Indonesians dismissed. I feel that this woman has not had a fair hearing. Its been quite a emotive issue for many months.

That Australian prisoner who testified about the smuggling ring was stabbed in jail a few days after he got back to Aussie. Everything about that case reeks of corruption and incompetence by the Indonesians. The judges in the case are proud of the fact that out of the 500 cases of drug smuggling they have heard they have never found anyone to be not guilty of the crime.

The whole thing is very emotive because anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that she has been set up and is totally innocent, but that she was always going to be found guilty no matter how shaky the evidence was against her.

The 9 guys who had heroine taped to their bodies really are screwed though, but it is a hell of a lot harder for them to claim innocence.

[Spats]

Dude, some guy smuggling dope in bags wouldn't just pull some shit out and throw it away so he could replace it with dope?

Okey doke.

That could happen.

However, imagine: you're a luggage handler, and you've got a huge seven-pound bag of dope that you have to stash in someone's bag without any of the other handlers noticing. Hundreds of bags are going by you. Which one do you pick? Probably something big that obviously has a lot of spare space, so you can throw the dope in and zip it back up before anyone sees you. Otherwise you have to figure out where to put the crap you pulled out, and why bother? Just pick another bag.

Apparently in this case, the dope was thrown into her bodyboard bag. Plenty of room in there, I'm guessing.

[Artie Fufkin]

Corby Timeline

Incredible story, it looks like she got screwed...

May 13, 2005: The chief judge says allegations that Sydney baggage handlers were involved in drug trafficking will have no effect on the Corby case.

[Jumper Bones]

I think it goes without saying that bringing ganja, or any other drug, into any foreign country is fucking stupid to begin with. Unless you're going into Mexico...you might be able to get away with it there. Maybe even Canada too.

But it's especially fucking stupid if you're entering the world's most populous muslim nation. 'It's only weed' or not, they don't exactly have American attitudes.

keep that shit at home. Be a yokel and buy local.

[LAN]

Reminds me of the movies Brokedown Palace and Return to Paradise (Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in one movie? *drool*)

I actually heard of this case just this weekend when she was sentenced to 20 years. Pretty freaking sad ...

I'm assuming to have 9 lbs, you'd have to be a dealer? So if you were a dealer, why would you bring it into a country that has such harsh penalties against possession???

[skea 457]

The allegation is that she was a trafficker or a courier, not a dealer. But dope is a class "A" drug in Indonesia. And just to highlight just how different ideas are in that place, while that case was going on a guy got 15 years for double homicide.

[Jumper Bones]

Allah can forgive aggression, or at least that's how males interpret it (in a male-run religion it's interesting how that works out), but if infidel swine bring contraband items into the country it must be to pollute and subvert the muslim life. Especially female infidels since they're especially worthless, and they must be trying to degrade the morality of the good muslim man with their sex.

Of course, the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful, and all-creating Allah also cannot see beyond the bridge separating Bahrain from the Arabic mainland, so Arabs may run wild in the streets of Bahrain and act at will.

[LeeLau]

You fuckers with your dumbass value judgments are something else. I don't like the way the evidence was handled and make no judgment as to her guilt or innocence. It's their countries, their laws, their ways of doing things - you don't like it? Stay the hell in your country, your culture and your comfort zone.

Indonesia is nominally Muslim. The drug laws have very little to do with religion. They don't like drugs, they don't like traffickers. Yes, they will sentence traffickers to death; and bombers and murderers get lighter sentences.

Any person who travels to this area knows to guard their luggage and make sure its safe at all times (padlocked whatever). I don't the precautions she took- clearly they weren't sufficient. If they were planted - then its a shame for her. If those were here drugs then c'est la vie.

[13]

You fuckers with your dumbass value judgments are something else. I don't like the way the evidence was handled and make no judgment as to her guilt or innocence. It's their countries, their laws, their ways of doing things - you don't like it? Stay the hell in your country, your culture and your comfort zone.

Sounds like you're making a value judgement of your own, pal. Take it easy, have you taken your blood pressure medicine today?

The way I see it, most people are taking issue with the double-standard of Indonesian law, independent of the woman's guilt (or lack thereof).

Come on, even you have to admit that 20 years for 9 lbs. of pot is just a little ridiculous when the Bali bomber essentially got a slap on the hand (minimal prison time).