South African Woman Faces Death Penalty in Bali For Smuggling Drugs

South African Woman Faces Death Penalty in Bali For Smuggling Drugs

A 32-year-old South African woman is facing the death penalty in Indonesia after she was arrested in Bali for allegedly smuggling crystal methamphetamine.

Authorities say she landed at Ngurah Rai International Airport on 13 July after travelling from Johannesburg via Singapore. During a routine inspection, security officers reportedly found close to one kilogram of meth hidden in her clothes.

South African Woman Faces Death Penalty in Bali For Smuggling Drugs

Bali anti-narcotics official I Made Sinar Subawa said the woman admitted during questioning that she had been sent from Johannesburg to deliver the drugs to someone in Bali.

Her arrest came on the same day that a Brazilian man was caught with over three kilograms of cocaine in his luggage. However, Indonesian officials say the two cases are not connected.

Both suspects are now facing Indonesia’s notoriously tough drug laws. Trafficking offences in the country often carry the death penalty, and dozens of foreign nationals are already on death row for similar crimes.

Authorities have not yet released the names of either suspect.

Also read: Botswana Woman Lesedi Molapisi Sentenced to Death in Bangladesh for Smuggling Drugs

Mzansi Reacts to the Arrest

After the news was shared online by MDN News, many South Africans weighed in — with a mix of outrage, concern, and frustration. Some expressed sympathy in case the woman was forced into it, while others said Bali should follow through with its laws if she knowingly took the risk. Others criticised the South African government for being soft on drugs, while a few brought up previous cases of citizens arrested abroad for trafficking.

Here are some of the reactions:

@Zani_Baccaria:

My problem is what if she was forced, but if she went there willingly and was not scared of her life then Bali must do what their laws say.

@OnePablo20:

We need to also be harsh on drugs. Pity are our police and politicians are aiding drug cartels.

@zinn_le:

South African women and the desperation for companionship will forever annoy me. Entlek what are we doing?

@HereWithShit:

I thought South Africans learned from the Botswana girl.

@SirDavid_Dashe:

We must apply the same law to drug traffickers arrested at OR Tambo

The post South African Woman Faces Death Penalty in Bali For Smuggling Drugs appeared first on iHarare News.