Drug Trafficking: 3 Indians Face Death Penalty In Indonesia

Three Indian nationals are facing the death penalty in Indonesia for allegedly trafficking drugs. The trio reportedly smuggled the drugs in a Singapore-flagged vessel. Since July 2024, after the Indian citizens’ arrest, they have been in jail facing trial in Indonesia.

All three accused persons were working in the shipping industry in Singapore and were found smuggling around 106 kg of crystal meth aboard the Legend Aquarius cargo vessel.

The accused persons are Raju Muthukumaran, 38; Selvadurai Dinakaran, 34; and Govindhasamy Vimalkandhan, 45, all hailing from Tamil Nadu.

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

The Indian nationals are represented by Indian lawyer John Paul, managing partner of Indian law firm South Asia Lex Legal Services (SAL).

The prosecution has sought maximum punishment for drug trafficking – the death penalty – after the vessel captain, who was ordered to testify in person, failed to appear in court.

According to the defence, the captain’s testimony is crucial to establishing their clients’ innocence in court. The defence had presented retired Indonesian Navy officer and international maritime law expert Soleman B. Ponto as a mitigating witness to strengthen their arguments.

On February 25, Soleman testified that under Indonesian law, the ship’s captain holds sole responsibility for all cargo on board. The defence has argued that it is unreasonable to believe that such a large quantity of drugs was being smuggled without the captain’s knowledge, adding that it believes the real perpetrators have escaped.

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

However, the case is now under trial, and the defence is trying to establish the innocence of the Indian nationals.