The panel of judges, chaired by Gde Putra Astawa, also fined Zharin 1 billion rupiah (USD63,000), with a subsidiary sentence of six months if unpaid.
“The judge declares that the defendant Andrei Zharin has been legally and convincingly proven guilty of committing the crime of illegally or unlawfully importing Class I narcotics,” Astawa said.
The judge rejected the defendant’s argument on the drugs to treat a medical condition since the evidence exceeded the recommended usage limit.
The judge considered the defendant’s actions contrary to the spirit of narcotics crime eradication in Indonesia.
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The verdict was lighter than the prosecution’s demand of eight years and six months in prison. Both Zharin and prosecutors accepted the ruling.
The case began on January 26, when Zharin arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport from Phuket, Thailand, on AirAsia flight QZ 247.
Customs officers found a container of NIVEA face cream in his luggage, which later tested positive for Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis.
Authorities confiscated the cream, which weighed 181.08 grams gross and 179.52 grams net, along with a smoking device, a bundle of “My Bali Store” stickers, a purple iPhone, a boarding pass, and customs documents in Zharin’s name.
Indonesia enforces some of the world’s toughest drug laws, with harsh penalties for trafficking, including the death penalty in severe cases.
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Translator: Rolandus Nampu, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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