Thai woman faces life-sentence

Denpasar: Prosecutor I Gede Raka demanded a life-sentence for a 24-year-old Thai woman, Ueamduen Sophawet alias Emmy, for trafficking illegal drugs in Bali.

In a session at the Denpasar District Court on Wednesday, Raka told judges that Emmy, an exotic dancer, violated the Law on Narcotics and thus deserved a life-sentence.

Emmy was apprehended at the Ngurah Rai airport in Tuban, Bali, in December 2010 by airport officers. She was found swallowing 1,280 ecstasy pills and 2.68 grams of crystal methamphetamine, detected by the airport’s body scanner and x-ray systems.

She had allegedly met with an Israeli man, Alexander Vetipsky, at a discotheque in Thailand. He offered to pay her for trafficking drugs to Bali.

The defendant cried while listening to the prosecutor’s demand.

The session was adjourned until Monday for witness hearings. — JP