Australian convicted of drug smuggling

[Hurin_Rules]

Schapelle Corby was sentenced to 20 years for smuggling drugs into Bali:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapc...eal/index.html

I post this because I've read a lot about the media and case, but very little about the details of the case itself. What exactly was her defense? Does anyone know what the evidence was like?

[Beirut]

I've read only a little about this case, but the question arises - why would anyone go near that place with thoughts of dealing drugs when they know bloody well what the penalties are?

It's like killing someone in Texas and then being surprised that they execute you.

[Lazul]

20!?... 20 years?

what a screwed up system. I feel sorry for her.

[Kraxis]

Damn, that was heavy... But given how a couple of Danes got life for a few hundred grams of heroin (and trust me they were guilty) in Thailand... Well I'm not that surprised.
I really feel for her if it is true that she is innocent. That would be horrible.

[Crazed Rabbit]

her defense argument that the drugs found in her possession were planted by baggage handlers in Australia.

Hmm. I don't know if Aussie baggers are special, but I've never heard of that before. Why would they put expensive drugs in her bag?

I've read only a little about this case, but the question arises - why would anyone go near that place with thoughts of dealing drugs when they know bloody well what the penalties are?

It's like killing someone in Texas and then being surprised that they execute you.

Really. I have a hard time feeling lots of sympathy for her-its not like they make the laws unclear.

I know that in one south east Asian country, they have signs saying death to drug dealers on the borders to show what the penalty is, yet some still do it...

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

Crazed Rabbit

[Devastatin Dave]

Good, this is what should be done to all druggies and peddlers of this sh##. IN fact, I think they should make the dealers OD on their own sh##...

[Husar]

Hmm. I don't know if Aussie baggers are special, but I've never heard of that before. Why would they put expensive drugs in her bag?

Well, they put them in there and get them back as soon as she is in the country, so they don´t run any risk of getting caught themselves. If she gets in, they get a lot of money, if she doesn´t, they lose the drugs, but can try again while she has the problems.

I agree with Kraxis in case she´s innocent, I feel very sorry for her.

BTW has anyone seen the film Brokedown Palace? It deals with a similar case, where innocent tourists are used to transpport drugs for the real dealer.(I watched it mainly for Kate Beckinsale , but the story was quite interesting as well.)

[GoreBag]

"Dismissed key evidence"? Interesting.

In any case, 20 years for pot is harsh.

EDIT:

Good, this is what should be done to all druggies and peddlers of this sh##. IN fact, I think they should make the dealers OD on their own sh##...

When was the last time someone OD'ed on marijuana, anyway?

[lars573]

20!?... 20 years?

what a screwed up system. I feel sorry for her.

"Dismissed key evidence"? Interesting.

In any case, 20 years for pot is harsh.

She should be glad she didn't get caught with the stuff in Maylasia where they hang you by the neck until dead for the same crime.

[Productivity]

Her defence was that they were not her drugs. It is thought (and emerging evidence seems to indicate this) that baggage handlers in Australian airports are using innocent people's luggage to smuggle drugs around Australia. I would put the chances at 95% to 5% that she's innocent. This whole thing defies logic. You don't smuggle pot into Bali, you smuggle it out of there.

The real outrage is that she has been found guilty, and this is due to Indonesia's justice system, which I can only describe as being backwards and unfair. In the eyes of it, she was found with the drugs, so the onus upon her is to prove they were not hers. This is something impossible to prove, and is demonstrated by one of the record of one of the judges on this trial (~500 guilty verdicts vs 0 innocent).

I don't disagree with Indonesia's right to set it's own penalties, so I'm not going to criticise them for the severity of the sentence. 20 years for pot may be excessive in your view, but in the eyes of Indonesians it's not, and I see no reason why you should be able to force your view upon them.

I really don't know what to say, I'm outraged here, a girl who is almost certainly innocent, has just been convicted based on evidence that would never hold up in any first world justice system, and is going to serve twenty years for it. Indonesia is seriously going to have to rethink it's relationship with Au, because the majority of the Australian public are seriously angry.

[LittleGrizzly]

20 years for pot, thats a bit sick, though if i spent the 20 years with them trying to OD me on it, it wouldn't be so bad.

[Efrem]

What is causing most of the public outcry in Australia,
Is that a cleric that orders a bombing where in 300 people are killed gets a couple of years, but a bag of pot, without her thumbprints on it mind you and the prosectution is applealing because she didn't get life.

Its about time we started doing some more east timor like stuff. One Howards greatest accomplishments is his "f**k Indosnesia" policy.

[bmolsson]

What is causing most of the public outcry in Australia,
Is that a cleric that orders a bombing where in 300 people are killed gets a couple of years, but a bag of pot, without her thumbprints on it mind you and the prosectution is applealing because she didn't get life.

Bashyir was not convicted for the bombing, only for instigating it. He was also convicted for leading the JI organisation, but it's not proven that that organisation actually was behind it. The refusal to have Hambali to testify was a big portion of this.

Its about time we started doing some more east timor like stuff. One Howards greatest accomplishments is his "f**k Indosnesia" policy.

Which gives this Australian girl a even smaller chance to take the jail term in Australia. Actually she could have gotten death penalty for this.

[Efrem]

that it could have been worse makes it no better

[bmolsson]

Her defence was that they were not her drugs. It is thought (and emerging evidence seems to indicate this) that baggage handlers in Australian airports are using innocent people's luggage to smuggle drugs around Australia. I would put the chances at 95% to 5% that she's innocent. This whole thing defies logic. You don't smuggle pot into Bali, you smuggle it out of there.

If you ever been at the airport in Denpasar, you would not see her story as very realistic. You actually have to carry the bagage your self through customs. That would mean that the receiver of the drugs really must know who she is, where she lives and then steal the bags.
All arrivals have to fill in and sign a form where it clearly states that there is a death penalty for all drug trafficking. Also you have to answer if the bags are yours and if they have been tampered with.

The Indonesian legal system is actually very weak, but in the sense that it's harder to be convicted rather than the opposite. Over 90% of all cases are built on the chargeds confession.

The drug laws in Indonesia is insane, no doubt about it, but they are very clearly stated to everyone. The tolerance are more or less 0......

[bmolsson]

that it could have been worse makes it no better

Well, it shows that the Indonesian courts are weak and become lenient due to foreign pressure.....

[Fragony]

Well if that is the penalty indonesia gives for that sort of thing it is pretty stupid to smuggle drugs. Their system, it may be harsh but those are their laws. If she is innocent then this is a big tragedy. Guilty or not, I feel sorry for her.

This whole thing defies logic. You don't smuggle pot into Bali, you smuggle it out of there.

Not necesarely, Indonisian pot is rubbish. Australian pot is worth pretty much over there, loads of tourists.

[GodsPetMonkey]

Well if that is the penalty indonesia gives for that sort of thing it is pretty stupid to smuggle drugs. Their system, it may be harsh but those are their laws. If she is innocent then this is a big tragedy. Guilty or not, I feel sorry for her.

This whole thing defies logic. You don't smuggle pot into Bali, you smuggle it out of there.

Not necesarely, Indonisian pot is rubbish. Australian pot is worth pretty much over there, loads of tourists.

Pot isn't as common as one might think in Bali either, whats more, I doubt she would be the first tourist with the bright idea of bringing some and selling it to other tourists...

[Fragony]

Pot isn't as common as one might think in Bali either, whats more, I doubt she would be the first tourist with the bright idea of bringing some and selling it to other tourists...

I think she is guilty. If the uggage guys put it there it must be part of a bigger operation, on the other side they would have to work with the indonesian luggage guys. When she reached the customs it would allready have been taken out. Just a silly girl if you ask me, I can understand autralia's outrage since it is such a high penalty, but she was in indonesia and we should respect their laws. I hope indonesia will be a sport and let her sit out part of her punnishment in australia. She seems like a nice girl.

[Productivity]

If you ever been at the airport in Denpasar, you would not see her story as very realistic. You actually have to carry the bagage your self through customs. That would mean that the receiver of the drugs really must know who she is, where she lives and then steal the bags.
All arrivals have to fill in and sign a form where it clearly states that there is a death penalty for all drug trafficking. Also you have to answer if the bags are yours and if they have been tampered with.

You are misunderstanding my point. It's internal smuggling, she went Brisbane->Sydney->Bali->Gaol (yes I'm a bad many I know ), the idea was that the smugglers put it in the bags in Brisbane, and were meant to take it out in Sydney. Somehow the bag got missed and she ended up with a bag full of pot.

What is causing most of the public outcry in Australia,
Is that a cleric that orders a bombing where in 300 people are killed gets a couple of years, but a bag of pot, without her thumbprints on it mind you and the prosectution is applealing because she didn't get life.

That's not why I'm annoyed. Quite frankly the western world, and in particular Australia has been going off at Indonesia to improve it's justice system for years. Bashir getting 3 years was a product of that. I agree it's wrong, but I'd take that over a corrupt decision being made to appease us. They applied the rules correctly as they were at the time. They have nwo realised they were insufficient and changed them, but they cannot be applied retrospectively.

Its about time we started doing some more east timor like stuff. One Howards greatest accomplishments is his "f**k Indosnesia" policy.

Right, we should break off all relations with our nearest neighbour, one with huge capacity for trade, not to mention us doing that would just help to create a breeding ground for terrorists. Great logic that...

[barocca]

baggage handler organised smuggling is old news here in Oz,
it has been happening for years

baggage handlers (until last week) were not watched by video and were not searched coming to airport, or leaving airport

ever wondered where lost luggage goes?
it goes home with the baggage handlers...


Corby got on the plane at Brisbane
brisbane baggage handlers put the drugs in her unlocked bag

she changed planes in Sydney
the baggage handlers in Sydney are supposed to take the drugs out of her bags
they failed to do so

at Bali customs found the drugs and arrested her



one person on the fringes of the smuggling gave evidence in her defence,
many people testified there was nothing unusual about her bag when it was in Brisbane, before being loaded on plane

pot in Oz is VERY expensive
pot in Bali is VERY cheap
smuggling $20K of pot into Bali where it would sell for under$5k? ludicrous to suggest.

the customs officers failed to turn on the video equipment when they searched her luggage

customs officers failed to secure the bag or drugs for fingerprint testing
(so many fingerprints on it by the time got around to that - well, useless to test it really)

her advocate during the searching procedure claims she said "not mine, i know nothing"
ONE Customs officer claims she said, "yes, my drugs"


Court dismissed all defence evidence and witnesses as immaterial,
and convicted her on the word of the customs officer who claims she said "yes, my drugs"


There is no jury in Indonesia - the judge is the jury.

The Lead Judge has never found a single person innocent in over 500 drug cases he has tried.

The Lead Judge actively brags about his "perfect" record of convictions.


draw your own conclusions,
mine??
lots of em :- the Judge would be reluctant to ruin his perfect record (for one)

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Couldn't the Australians just petition the Indonesians to let her serve her sentence over here, and then release her when they hand her over? It might cause a bit of a, you know, international incident, but it'd be a pretty cool play.

[Productivity]

Couldn't the Australians just petition the Indonesians to let her serve her sentence over here, and then release her when they hand her over? It might cause a bit of a, you know, international incident, but it'd be a pretty cool play.

Not worth it over one person... And then what happens if something similar happens again? The second person is really in trouble...

[Sir Moody]

Am i the only person here who find this so called "key" evidence massivly weak - Basically its the Testimony of a Convicted baggage handler and the fact none of her finger prints are on the Drugs...

that doesnt actually prove anything - unless they could produce the people who actually planted the drugs there is no defence case....

[doc_bean]

I agree that her defense is very weak, and if baggage handlers are such a problem in Australia, the government should have done something about it long ago. But if that's the case, i doubt she'd be the first person this happened to.

They'll probably arrange some prisoners exchange program, and make everybody happy.

BTW if you enter Indonesia, before you sign that paper detailing their drug laws, do you get the chance to check your bags and hand over any pot (without charge or persecution) if you find any ? If so then i would say they have a fair system.

[Productivity]

Am i the only person here who find this so called "key" evidence massivly weak - Basically its the Testimony of a Convicted baggage handler and the fact none of her finger prints are on the Drugs...

that doesnt actually prove anything - unless they could produce the people who actually planted the drugs there is no defence case....

Which means that it is impossible to prove yourself innocent for the most, as evidenced by the conviction rate of the Indonesian justice system. In my view it's a flawed justice system.

[Devastatin Dave]

Well, I guess when she gets out in 20 years she won't go to anymore 3rd world hell holes for holiday. She could come to the US and just have to spend a couple of months [...] in one of our prisons for weed and be on her way.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Is Indonesia really a third world hell hole? I don't imagine it is.

[BDC]

Is Indonesia really a third world hell hole? I don't imagine it is.

It will be now that no western tourists go there anymore. And no governments are going to want to give them aid for anything because it will look bad.

[Hurin_Rules]

When was the last time someone OD'ed on marijuana, anyway?

Never. You can't OD on THC.