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rosecutors have demanded a 17-year prison term for French national Francois Jacques Guily, 48, who was arrested while allegedly attempting to smuggle 3 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine into Bali.

'€œWith respect to the laws, especially Law No. 35/2009 on narcotics, we demand the panel of judges find defendant Francois Jacques Guily guilty of violating Article 113 of the law, and to sentence the defendant to 17 years in prison,'€ prosecutor Gusti Putu Gede Atmaja said during a hearing of the trial at the Denpasar District Court on Monday.

The prosecutors also demanded that the panel issue Guily a Rp 10 billion (US$848,615) fine, or face an additional three months imprisonment.

Gusti said he saw no reason to forgive the defendant, nor did he expect the trial to bring to light any special factors that might have justified the defendant'€™s alleged crime. He added that the defendant showed no signs of psychological problems.

The prosecutors said that the defendant'€™s actions went counter to the government'€™s efforts to eradicate drug use in Indonesia. '€œThe defendant has tarnished the image of Bali as a tourism destination,'€ Gusti said.

Guily appeared confused when questioned by presiding judge Ketut Wanugraha, saying simply that he would have to consult his lawyer before addressing the court.

Guily'€™s defense statement will be heard at the next trial session on June 23.

Guily was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in January 2014 as he passed the customs and excise checkpoint at the airport, having arrived on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH867 from Kuala Lumpur. Customs and excise found the 3 kg of crystal meth in a hidden compartment inside his suitcase.

The drugs were reportedly worth in excess of Rp 6 billion at current street prices.

In a statement, Guily said he was given $4,000 to take the drugs to a guest house on the island. It was also revealed that this was not the first drug-smuggling run he had undertaken.

In the move to eradicate drug abuse, authorities in Bali have tightened security at all entry points into the island.

The increased security has led to the arrest of several other foreigners attempting to smuggle drugs onto the island. Earlier in May, a French man named Thierry Claude Joseph Verchere, 47, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after being caught with 112 grams of cocaine. The sentence was far lighter than the one recommended by the police, as prosecutors only sought a one-year sentence.

Conversely, last year, a British woman, Lindsay June Sandiford, was sentenced to death after attempting to smuggle 4.7 kg of cocaine onto the island '€” a far more severe punishment than the 15-year prison term sought by prosecutors.