Brazilian teen faces death by firing squad for smuggling cocaine into Bali

Prosecutors demanded death by firing squad last week for a Brazilian teenager who was caught with 3 kilogrammes of cocaine in her luggage upon arrival in Bali, Indonesia, in January.

According to Newsflash, prosecutors want to see 19 year old Manuela Vitoria de Araujo Farias executed by a firing squad for her crimes if found guilty, which is the maximum penalty for drug smuggling in Indonesia.

Indonesia is home to some of the world’s toughest drug laws and sentences. Even if Farias escaped the death penalty, she may still face life imprisonment on the small island.

The teen was arrested at Bali International Airport at 3am on January 1 having arrived on a Qatar Airways flight. She travelled through airports in Brazil and Qatar with three kilos of cocaine inside her bag.

Farias has spent the last three months in police custody in Bali awaiting trial, meanwhile prosecutors have been investigating her crimes.

Prosecutors told the court last week that they want to see the maximum penalty implemented because they believe that Farias was working directly with a drug gang.

However, Farias’ lawyer Davi Lira da Silva says the teenager was tricked by people she trusted. Da Silva claims that Farias’ mother recently had a stroke and Farias’ contacts in Bali told her that the island was home to temples where people pray for the sick. The lawyer claims that Farias wanted to go to Bali to help find a cure for her sick mother.

The gang also told Farias – who sold lingerie and perfume for a living in Brazil – that they would pay for her to have surf lessons when she arrived, said the lawyer.

In July last year, another young Brazilian was arrested for smuggling drugs into Bali. Police arrested the 25 year old student after customs at Bali International Airport found 9.1 grammes of cannabis in his bag that he bought legally in Thailand, where the plant is decriminalised. He claimed that he didn’t know it was illegal to bring marijuana into Indonesia.