Madeiran man detained in Indonesia faces maximum sentence of 20 years in prison

A minimum sentence of five and a maximum of 20 years in prison is what Madeiran Rui Viana, one of two young Portuguese men arrested last Sunday, could face for allegedly transporting two kilos of cocaine on a flight from Lisbon to Jakarta. The news was reported by the local press, which cites the authorities, and is being disseminated in the national media.

According to the Indonesian police, the 21-year-old young man, son of Rui Óscar, a former Marítimo footballer, who also represented FC Porto and Boavista , was carrying liquid cocaine in shampoo bottles. Rui Viana was detained upon arrival in the country, at the airport, when his suitcase was searched.

“We arrested a man with the initials RPAV [Rui Viana] on March 17th, who was acting as a courier”, said the director of Ditres Narkoba, Kombes Pol Hengki, adding that, in return, he received “a payment of six thousand euros” .

“One of the shampoo bottles contained liquid cocaine with a gross weight of 977.2 milliliters or 1005.4 grams. A second bottle with a gross weight of 709.3 milliliters or 729.7 grams. And the other shampoo bottle weighed 912 .4 milliliters or 938.7 grams. Therefore, the [total quantity] was 2,598.9 milliliters or 2,673.8 grams”, explained the person responsible for the investigation.

The police also seized 6 thousand euros in cash, two passports and three cell phones. 

The Madeiran is identified as being the ‘drug courier’, while the second detained Portuguese, identified only by the initials FMGS, would be the recipient and was caught in Bali.

According to the local press, the duo is indicted by a legal article that provides for the crime of drug trafficking a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, thus avoiding a possible sentence of life or even the death penalty.

From Diário Notícias