DENPASAR

A Russian man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to smuggle 359 capsules of hashish into Bali.

Sergei Chernykh, 43, was caught after swallowing the capsules and attempting to enter Bali through Ngurah Rai International Airport. He is the second Russian citizen to be sentenced for drug smuggling this month.

Two weeks ago, Alexander Simonov was sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to smuggle 88 capsules of hashish through the airport.

Chernykh was ordered to pay Rp 1 billion ($103,800) in fines or serve an extra six months in jail.

The judge hoped the sentence would deter other drug smugglers from bringing narcotics into Bali.

“The defendant’s crime could have turned tens of thousands of people into narcotics users,” Chief Judge Gunawan Tri Budiono said. “We hope this verdict can serve as a lesson for other syndicates planning to smuggle narcotics.”

Chernykh’s Indonesian interpreter said he had no intentions of appealing the verdict.

In a separate hearing, the trial of Spaniards Eloy Esteves Gutierrez, 34, and Daniel Munoz, 44, began. The men were charged with possession of Ecstasy and marijuana.

Both men worked for the Menjangan Hotel in Bali. They each face four years in jail and Rp 800 million in fines.