Thai couple could face firing squad for Indonesia drug bust

Two Thai nationals face execution for drug trafficking charges in Indonesia. Rachanon Jongseeha and his girlfriend Woranawan Wongsuwan were among six people arrested in Bali last week on drug charges by Indonesian police.

Four could face execution under the country’s strict drug laws.

The 33 year old Rachanon and his 31 year old girlfriend were arrested upon arrival at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport on September 8, with 1.9 kilogrammes of methamphetamines mixed with ecstasy powder packed in 108 sachets of a fruit-flavoured collagen drink, and 20 pills of the party drug ecstasy, according to provincial anti-narcotics chief Rudy Ahmad Sudrajat.

Indonesian police also detained two locals, accusing them of ordering the illicit haul from Thailand. All four suspects now face Indonesia’s ruthless justice system, which could mean execution by firing squad if convicted.

This isn’t the first high-profile drug case in Bali. Back in November 2019, a local court slapped 16-year prison sentences on two Thai nationals caught smuggling a kilogramme of methamphetamine.

Further adding to the crackdown, Indonesian police announced the July arrests of two Europeans. A Latvian man, identified only as VS, was busted on July 4 at the airport with a suitcase stuffed with 450.41 grammes of hashish and 977.83 grammes of marijuana. VS, sporting a tattoo linked to organised crime in the former Soviet Union, faces potential life behind bars.

Meanwhile, Swedish national SUE was captured on July 31 when police stormed his villa in Gianyar, a popular tourist haven. Acting on a tip-off about a suspicious package from Thailand, cops found 201.28 grammes of hashish. SUE now faces up to 15 years for possession, reported ABC News.

Indonesia is notorious for its stringent anti-drug laws, with dozens of convicted smugglers languishing on death row. The last executions occurred in July 2016, when an Indonesian and three foreigners met their fate. In a chilling reminder of the country’s severe stance, a French citizen was sentenced to death in Lombok in May 2019 for smuggling 3 kilogrammes of ecstasy, though his sentence was later commuted to 19 years in prison.