Malaysian men sentenced to 9 years for smuggling heroin into Taiwan

Kaohsiung, Sept. 11 (CNA) Two Malaysian men who concealed 26 packets of heroin in their rectums to smuggle the drugs into Taiwan in exchange for US$1,250 each were each sentenced to nine years in prison, the Kaohsiung District Court said Friday.

The ruling can be appealed.

In its Aug. 27 ruling, the court said the two men had been instructed by a man identified only as "Botak" sometime in August or September last year to smuggle drugs into Taiwan in exchange for US$1,250 each.

Following the instructions, the two men flew to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Feb. 1 this year, where they met another accomplice.

On the morning of Feb. 7, they obtained 26 packets of heroin, a Category 1 narcotic, and concealed 10 packets in one man's rectum and 16 in the other's, the ruling said.

The two men each received US$250 as an advance payment before leaving for Taiwan.

They then flew from Phnom Penh to Hong Kong and transferred to a Cathay Pacific flight bound for Kaohsiung, arriving at Kaohsiung International Airport on the evening of Feb. 7.

According to the ruling, the two men were stopped for inspection after their behavior raised suspicion. Authorities found about 213 grams of heroin concealed inside their bodies, and both men admitted to the offense during the trial.

The court noted, however, that the men were not the masterminds behind the drug-smuggling operation and had taken the risk because of financial difficulties.

The court also said concealing drugs inside their bodies posed serious health risks and that the amount of heroin involved was smaller than the quantities typically smuggled in checked luggage.

As the men were arrested on the day they entered Taiwan, the drugs had not caused serious harm to society, the court said. Taking these factors into consideration, the court reduced their sentences before imposing nine years in prison on each man.

As the two men had no household registration or significant ties to Taiwan, the court also ordered them deported after completing their sentences, being released on parole, or being granted a pardon.