Drug Smuggler Gets Suspended Sentence: Prosecutors Dissatisfied

Picture: Wikipedia

A Pakistan citizen was handed a sentence of 2 years imprisonment, suspended for 4 years, after attempting to smuggle 4KG of amphetamine from Taiwan to Australia. Prosecutors said they will appeal the lenient sentence.

The 21 year-old man surnamed ‘Ba’ (rendered from Chinese), was caught at Taipei Taoyuan airport attempting to board a flight to Sydney, Australia, July 2016. Ba told the court that a man named ‘Ah Hao’ had offered him a free trip to Australia in exchange for carrying the drugs.

In handing down the sentence, the judge said the young man deserved sympathy. Prosecutors pointed out that smuggling amphetamines, a category 2 drug, according to Taiwan law, carried a mandatory sentence of 7 years to life, and that the judge was abusing the sympathy clause.

A sign at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport warns arriving travelers that drug trafficking is punishable by death in the R.O.C.

amphetamines found in luggage
A shipment of amphetamine intercepted at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, August 2016. A 20 year old Pakistan man was arrested. Picture: China Times.
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