For the second time in as many weeks, an Australian has been caught-up in an alleged attempt to smuggle drugs out of Asia, and is now facing the possibility of the death penalty.
Various sources, including the Sydney Morning Herald, report that an unnamed Australian woman was detained at Malaysia’s main international airport, where she had stopped over on a flight between Shanghai and Melbourne.
Allegedly, the 51-year-old mother of four was carrying 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine when she was arrested. Malaysia’s drug laws are notoriously strict, and carrying more than 50 grams of a drug such as ice can lead to the death penalty.
Per the Herald’s report, the woman is expected to appear in court in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, and the Australian High Commission are ensuring that she will get proper legal representation.
Last weekend, it was reported that 22-year-old Sydney woman Kalyda Davis had been detained in China after an alleged attempt to smuggle ice out of the country, but she has since been cleared and returned home.
Ms Davis’s partner, 25-year-old New Zealand man Peter Gardner, reportedly remains in a detention center in China, although the circumstances surrounding his imprisonment remain unclear.
34-year-old Australian man Dominic Bird was arrested after attempting to supply an undercover police officer with 167 grams methamphetamine in Kuala Lumpur in 2012, however, he was later acquitted.
Photo: Torsten Blackwood via Getty Images
