Frenchman sentenced to death by firing squad for drug smuggling in Indonesia

Felix Dorfin was accused of smuggling 3 kilograms of ecstasy and amphetamines to the tourist island of Lombok

(REUTERS)

A Frenchman has been sentenced to death by firing squad by an Indonesian court for drug smuggling.

Prosecutors only sought a 20-year sentence for Felix Dorfin after he was found guilty of being in possession of around 3 kilograms of ecstasy and amphetamines at Lombok airport last September.

The 35-year-old sat silently when a panel of three judges handed down the punishment. He declined to speak to reporters on his way back to prison from Mataram District Court.

The judges concluded that Mr Dorfin had weakened the government's drug prevention program and could have a bad influence on young people.

"He is legally and convincingly guilty of importing narcotics to Indonesia," said presiding judge Isnurul Syamsul Arif. "We found no reason to lighten his sentence."

Prosecutors had requested a 20-year prison term for Mr Dorfin, who was arrested last September when customs officers at Lombok's airport discovered methylenedioxy methamphetamine worth $220,600 and 22 ecstasy pills in his suitcase.

Mr Dorfin, from Bethune, a city in northern France, maintained in court that he had been asked by someone to carry the suitcase and did not know it contained drugs.

His lawyer said he would appeal.

The French national had managed to escape from a police detention center in January by punching holes in his cell window, allegedly with help from a female police officer who received money from him.

He was recaptured near a forested mountain on Lombok island, next to Bali, after spending 10 days on the run. The police officer was arrested.

Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed.

More than 150 people are currently on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About one-third of them are foreigners.

The country's last execution took place in 2016.

Additional reporting by agencies.