Three Indian nationals face death penalty for smuggling drugs into Indonesia

The three Indian nationals who have been working in the shipping industry in Singapore, were arrested for allegedly smuggling 106 kg of crystal meth aboard the Legend Aquarius cargo vessel.

Singapore: Three Indian nationals accused of drug trafficking aboard a Singapore-flagged vessel who have been detained in Indonesia since July 2024, face the death penalty, a media report said on Friday.

Raju Muthukumaran, 38, Selvadurai Dinakaran, 34, and Govindhasamy Vimalkandhan, 45, who have been working in the shipping industry in Singapore, were arrested for allegedly smuggling 106 kg of crystal meth aboard the Legend Aquarius cargo vessel.

All of them hail from Tamil Nadu.

Acting on a tip-off, Indonesian authorities intercepted the vessel in the Pongkar waters of Karimun district, about an hour from Singapore by ferry.

The trio faced a major setback on March 14 when the vessel captain, who was ordered to testify in person, failed to appear in court, reported Singapore’s Friday weekly Tabla! In response to the testimony, the court summoned the captain to testify in person on March 14. However, he only appeared briefly via Zoom, preventing cross-examination by the defence.

The defence team insists that the captain’s testimony is crucial to establishing their clients’ innocence.

Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty, the maximum sentence under Indonesian law.

The trio are represented by Indian lawyer John Paul, managing partner of Indian law firm South Asia Lex Legal Services (SAL). According to a LinkedIn post, Paul is from Tamil Nadu.

The defence team, also led by an Indonesian firm Bambang Supriadi & Partners, argues that the charges are false.

Paul added: “We are focused on presenting a robust defence and highlighting the inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.” To strengthen their argument, the defence presented retired Indonesian Navy officer and international maritime law expert Soleman B. Ponto as a mitigating witness, according to the Tabla!.

On February 25, Soleman testified that under Indonesian law the ship’s captain holds sole responsibility for all cargo on board.

The defence contends that it is highly unlikely for such a large quantity of drugs to be smuggled without the captain’s knowledge.

“We firmly believe that the actual perpetrators have been set free,” said defence lawyer Yan Apridho.

“The case is under trial and crucial defence evidence, along with expert witness testimonies, is being presented to establish the innocence of the three detained Indian nationals,” said Yan. “The absence of the captain’s evidence has raised questions about the prosecution’s case.” The trial is ongoing, and a verdict is expected on April 15.

At a press conference in Batam on July 17, 2024, Indonesian National Narcotic Agency chief Marthinus Hukom alleged that the three were the drug owners and had commissioned the trip.