2 Couriers Of 20 Kg Of Methamphetamine From Riau Demanded The Death Penalty At The Medan District Court

North Sumatra Prosecutor's Office, Maria Fr. Br. Tarigan (left) read the memorandum of demand at the District Court, North Sumatra, Tuesday (22/8/2023). (ANTARA/M Sahbainy Nasution)

The Public Prosecutor (JPU) of the North Sumatra High Prosecutor's Office has demanded that the defendants Cituan alias Atik and Erwan Sahputra alias Iwanasar, Riau Province, be sentenced to death in the case of being couriers of narcotics weighing 20 kilograms of methamphetamine and 30,000 pills of ecstasy.

"Ask the panel of judges to impose the death penalty on the defendants Cituan alias Atik and Erwan Sahputra alias Iwan (separate files)," said Public Prosecutor Maria Fr. Br. Tarigan at the Medan District Court (PN), reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 22.

The two defendants violated Article 114 paragraph (2) of Law No. 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the 1st Criminal Code.

"The aggravating thing is that the defendant does not support the government's program in eradicating narcotics, while there are no mitigating factors," said Maria.

After the North Sumatra Prosecutor's Office read out the memorandum of demand, the panel of judges chaired by Denny Lumbantobing postponed the trial on Monday (28/8) with the agenda of the defendant's defense note (pledoi).

Separately, Armasnyah, lawyer Erwan Sahputra, objected to the prosecutor's death charge. According to him, the fact that his client's trial was only persuaded to look for a rental car.

"We will put it in an objection note in the defense agenda, he is only an intermediary looking for a rental car," he said.

In the indictment, the two defendants were ordered by Anyang (in the investigation) to take methamphetamine from the Bakao River, Bagan Readyi-api, Riau to Pekan Baru and North Sumatra.

Then Allabis alias Awi (in the investigation) was ordered by Anyang to meet Erwan and Cituan in the Bakao River area to deliver the methamphetamine and ecstasy on March 30, 2023.

In short, Allabis gave a burlap sack containing 20 plastic packs weighing 20 kg of crystal methamphetamine, six white plastic packs containing 27,000 ecstasy pills, and blue plastic containing 3,000 ecstasy pills.

On April 1, 2023 at around 00.10 WIB, police officers from the North Sumatra Police Narcotics Directorate arrested the two defendants at the exit of the Pekan Baru Toll Gate, Muara Fajar Village, Rumbai Kota District, Pekanbaru.

Furthermore, police personnel conducted a search in the car and found a sack containing one carton containing 20 kg of crystal methamphetamine and 30,000 pills of ecstasy, and the two defendants were taken to the North Sumatra Police.