For me, what is important is that judges must firmly and indiscriminately rule cases, including deciding capital punishment for the sake of justiceBanda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) - The Banda Aceh High Court has upheld the convictions and death sentences of 12 drug offenders in 2023 amid Aceh's push to check the growing drug problem in the province.
In the period from January to July 2023, the high court has upheld convictions handed out in 392 cases by courts of first instance in Aceh, head of the Banda Aceh High Court, Suharjono, informed here on Wednesday.
The 392 cases whose convictions and sentences have been upheld by the high court of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, comprise civil, criminal, corruption, and drug cases, he said.
In the drug cases, the rulings were made by the Idi District Court (5 cases), Lhoksukon District Court (4), and Lhokseumawe District Court (3), he added.
The Idi District Court's panel of judges in East Aceh, for instance, sentenced 5 drug offenders to death for trafficking 30 thousand grams of addictive drugs, he said.
"For me, what is important is that judges must firmly and indiscriminately rule cases, including deciding capital punishment for the sake of justice," he added.
ANTARA has reported earlier that Aceh has been in a state of emergency over drug trafficking with transnational and inter-provincial drug rings still active in the province despite the ongoing crackdown against them.
Both police and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) have continued to clamp down on drug kingpins and their drug supply networks in Aceh over the past few years.
Looking at the physical evidence seized frequently by local police and BNN officers in connection to drug crimes, cannabis and crystal methamphetamine seem to be the most commonly trafficked drugs.
On June 16, for instance, a joint team of personnel drawn from several law enforcement agencies in Aceh succeeded in foiling a transnational drug ring's attempt to smuggle 99 kilograms of crystal meth from Malaysia into Pidie district.
Three people, identified as HE, MF, and R, who were involved in the drug smuggling operation, were arrested the same day, according to head of the Customs and Excise Office-Aceh, Leni Rahmasari.
Rahmasari attributed the successful thwarting of the smuggling attempt to the synergic collaboration established by the Customs and Excise Directorate General with maritime patrol units and the BNN.
Community members also contributed to this by giving law enforcement personnel a tip-off about the possible smuggling of a drug package from Malaysia into Aceh, she informed in a recent press statement.
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Translator: R Fajri, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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