70,000 ecstasy pills, execution risk: Will Indonesia’s 10-year death penalty hiatus end with junkie Malaysian pilot?

JAKARTA: A Malaysian pilot was arrested at Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 70,000 ecstasy pills into the country, with authorities also finding methamphetamine in his luggage.

The 39-year-old pilot, identified only by his initials MSO, was arrested on July 29 shortly after arriving in Jakarta from Kuala Lumpur. Customs officials found 14 bags containing more than 70,000 ecstasy pills in his suitcase and four grams of methamphetamine in his hand luggage.

Although authorities have not officially disclosed the airline he worked for, the flight number reportedly indicated that he was travelling on Malaysia Airlines.

Authorities also said the pilot appeared to have been under the influence of drugs while operating the flight. A urine test conducted following his arrest reportedly tested positive for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.
During questioning, MSO allegedly told investigators that he had been promised 50,000 Malaysian ringgit to transport the drugs to Jakarta.

If convicted of drug trafficking, the pilot could face life imprisonment or the death penalty under Indonesia's strict narcotics laws. Indonesia permits capital punishment for certain serious drug-trafficking offences, although it has not carried out an execution since 2016.
The last executions in Indonesia took place in July 2016, when four convicted drug traffickers were executed by firing squad. They were Indonesian national Freddy Budiman, Nigerian nationals Humprey Ejike and Michael Titus Igweh, and Gajetan Acena Seck Osmane, a Senegalese national who held a Nigerian passport.