SAILOR GETS 18 YEARS FOR RECORD ECSTASY HAUL

THE man responsible for smuggling WA's biggest importation of ecstasy into
Broome last year was jailed for 18 years yesterday.

Indonesian sailor Nasri smuggled more than 61,000 ecstasy tablets with an
estimated street value of up to $4.6 million in a cattle ship which docked
in Broome in May last year.

It was the third biggest known importation of ecstasy into Australia.

Handing down the sentence, Justice Graeme Scott told Nasri the term was not
as severe as the sentences handed out in Indonesia for the same crimes.

"If an Australian citizen imported the same amount of drugs into Indonesia
I suspect that the punishment handed down in your country would be
substantially more severe," he said.

Justice Scott said Nasri's sentence might seem harsh but it was necessary
to curb the spread of drugs and to reflect the amount of ecstasy smuggled
in and the fact Nasri became a drug runner for financial gain.

"If drug importations are to be curbed, severe sentences need to be
imposed," he said.

Nasri had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of importing a commercial
quantity of ecstasy into Australia.

Justice Scott said Nasri deserved to be sentenced to 25 years jail but
reduced the term to 18 years after taking into account his early plea of
guilty and his cooperation with the police investigation.

He set a minimum term of nine years jail.

Nasri initially told police he had no idea the black plastic bags he had
taken on board the cattle ship contained ecstasy and thought he was
carrying biscuits, but later admitted he was aware of the contents of the
parcel.

He said he had agreed to bring the ecstasy into Australia for a friend from
Surabaya, Indonesia, for $8000 but was never paid.

Once in Broome, Nasri delivered the drugs to Chee Kwok Wong and Albert
Chwee Kok Chua.

Both men have already admitted their involvement in the drug deal. Wong is
serving an 11-year sentence and Chua is serving 16 years.

Justice Scott said Nasri was caught red-handed while distributing the
ecstasy, which was of good quality and had a street value at the upper end
of the scale.

He said Nasri received only one visitor, from a mosque in Perth, and was
likely to have an extremely difficult time in jail because he was so isolated.