Woman gets 20 years for pot..almost death penalty

[VoldtaEngler]

BALI, Indonesia (May 27) -- An Australian woman was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday for smuggling nine pounds of marijuana onto Indonesia's Bali island, prompting her mother to shout ''Liar!'' at the judge and her nation's prime minister to express sympathy. Schapelle Corby, 27, wept as the verdict was announced in a case. She could have faced the death penalty, but prosecutors requested a life sentence.

Corby's mother, Rosleigh Rose, yelled out, ''Liar! Liar!'' and had to be restrained in the front row of the courtroom gallery. Other relatives shouted, ''We are going to get you home! We love you!''

Corby turned to her tearful parents and mouthed, ''Just relax. It's OK.''

Corby's case was closely watched in Australia, where actor Russell Crowe said last month that photographs of the beauty school student during her trial ''broke my heart.''

Australia had pressed Jakarta to avoid a death penalty and allow her to serve any prison sentence back home.


Jesus christ! almost the death penalty for pot?? seriously now.. would she have been shot on sight if she had herion?! i think they dont want pot in Indonesia because everybody would get the munchies..and eat all (both crates!) of food for the year.

[killerkat]

that's fucking outta this world.. .....that's terrifingly insane.....



(yes,i have been dying to say that^^^ )

[Kidthorazine]

i know a guy from Jakarta he said pot was extreemely easy to get over there maybe they just dont want any foriegn product.

[tinstar]

i know a guy from Jakarta he said pot was extreemely easy to get over there maybe they just dont want any foriegn product.

That seems entirely possible... I wonder if the US Embassy can step in on this case, or if the extradition laws say that they can't do anything about it...

Anybody know?

[inox]

She's Australian, so it's not our deal.

Honestly, though, 20 years in their horrible prisons is absurd for a marijuana-related charge. I hope people boycott Bali as a tourist destination.

[johnny]

I dunno. I think countries should have the right to make their own rules and enforce it. She should have known better than smuggle 9... read... 9 lbs of pot into the country! That's way beyond personal use and into trafficking!

[Morning Glory]

good point johnny.
also that article made me laugh a lot. I'm sorry, but when people do stupid shit in other countires they get thier asses handed to them, and then they wonder why. It's even funnier because it's like so easy to get pot and to sell pot without getting caught, so if you do, then you have to be a real idiot, and you deserve it. I'm all for crime, but if you're not smart enough to get away with it, then you can't blame anyone else but yourself.

[TheDeathKnight]

I mean seriously... 9 pounds in your luggage?

If she was being sneaky, and smuggling it across the border on a boat, or in her stomach, or something like that, I would think she was being a good criminal. But to put it in your luggage, is just stupid... In the US or anywhere else...

[Tequila Zaire]

The only thing that bugs me is that given how much Bali NEEDS tourists that this may end up hurting far more than it needed in trying to prove whatever point the government in this case wants to make. They should have fined the hell out of her or sent her back to her country to serve out the sentance...prisons in that neck of the woods are not exactly places that function on a very solid moral footing. The dangers she would face there simply don't measure up to the crime...

Was she stupid? totally. Does she deserve SOME sort of punishment...yeah. But given the nation, it's record, and half assed way of really dealing with their drug issues...this is just too extreme and something that will cost them more than they realize. Tourism is already down due to the terrorist attacks from a while back...just a bad move that will make their own citizens suffer in the end.

[Toe Cutter]

I don't think she did it. I did a little reading up on it, and the 3 judges suppressed a bunch of evidence that seemed pretty convincing to me.

[TheDeathKnight]

I think that country, and other muslim countries, like to take a "no-tolerance" attitude on drugs, whether the people are guilty or innocent, to scare people into NEVER bringing drugs into their country. In some countries, the penalty is death, or life in prison. So if they execute a few people who are smuggling, guilty or not, it will make drug smugglers paranoid about even attempting to go there. And if she was just a mule, she would still know that it is a REALLY bad idea to have any drugs on you when travelling to countries like that. I don't think they care if she is innocent or not. They just want to make an example out of her, to scare other people, so they don't do it...

[pagan]

Wow, crazy story.. poor girl. I wish her family the best.
It won't stop anyone else from doing it. It's suply and demand. When demand goes up there will always be people willing to take the risk for the right price. Over and over and over. Nothing will stop it...............................

Well maybe legalization.

[OliX]

I think that country, and other muslim countries, like to take a "no-tolerance" attitude on drugs, whether the people are guilty or innocent, to scare people into NEVER bringing drugs into their country. In some countries, the penalty is death, or life in prison. So if they execute a few people who are smuggling, guilty or not, it will make drug smugglers paranoid about even attempting to go there. And if she was just a mule, she would still know that it is a REALLY bad idea to have any drugs on you when travelling to countries like that. I don't think they care if she is innocent or not. They just want to make an example out of her, to scare other people, so they don't do it...

guess where was smoked firsth opium... or from where comes 99% of hash in world....

[Gregory-Eric]

The moral of the story....stay the f*k away from Bali!

[hewhoisagod]

My old roommate wen to china for six weeks, when he was there two men were executed for transporting 2 kilos of unprocessed opium.

[Smudge Doll]

thats fucked up

[Nuada_Airgetlam]

i think they like to take a no tolerance attitude when it comes to foreigners. but 20 or death for 9 lbs of pot what kind of pot was it?

[Morning Glory]

what differnce does it make whether it's chron or merce?

[grebo]

im australian. its been in the news for weeks now, she claims that she didnt do it, the cops have recently busted workers at airport for drugs, which makes me think they knew about it than they say they do. but what shits me is the fact that everyone is so sad about it, but if it wasnt a young good looking girl would they get the same treatment and sympathy. there was 9 people just caught red handed with drugs taped to themselves more recently but the attitude with most people is "fuck em" cos they had it one em and they are junkie trash, not a good looking middle class girl

[Nuada_Airgetlam]

I was simply wondering if maybe the pot she was carrying was poisonus to the populace then that would make sense. FOr the 20 years sentence.

[Toe Cutter]

there was 9 people just caught red handed with drugs taped to themselves more recently but the attitude with most people is "fuck em" cos they had it one em and they are junkie trash, not a good looking middle class girl

That's different, they did the crime. I think the main point of contention is that the fundamentalist cunt who mastermined the bombing of that club got 2 fucking years and this girl who is obviously getting rail-roaded gets 20!

[TheDeathKnight]

Double standards all around...

I'm not supporting their policies. I'm for legalization.
But I think they like to make an example out of someone like that,
to make sure no other Australians, or Americans, ever try to take
drugs into their country... Also, I bet they actually do execute
and prosecute their own people too, but we just do not hear
about it... We only care when they do it to one of our own...