Argentine woman and British man go on trial in Bali accused of smuggling cocaine

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) – An Argentine woman and a British man went on trial Thursday on charges of smuggling cocaine to the Indonesian tourist island of Bali. If convicted, they could face up to 12 years in prison.

Prosecutors say Eleonora Gracia, 46, was arrested in March at Bali’s airport with 244 grams (half a pound) of cocaine wrapped in a condom hidden in her vagina. Authorities alleged that she handed over the cocaine to Elliot James Shaw, 50, at a hotel near a Bali beach.

Prosecutors at the District Court in Denpasar, Bali’s provincial capital, said they violated anti-narcotics laws that carry a penalty of up to 12 years in prison.

After the charges against Gracia and Shaw were read out in the Bali court, a panel of three judges adjourned the trial until July 3. The court is expected to deliver its verdict next month.

Gracia and Shaw wore face masks as they sat next to each other in court. Neither they nor their lawyers spoke in court or to reporters covering the trial.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.

Indonesian authorities on Monday arrested 285 people suspected of drug trafficking, including 29 women and seven foreigners, and seized over half a ton of narcotics during a two-month crackdown.

About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections’ data showed last month. Indonesia’s last executions, of a citizen and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.