Teen facing death penalty over discovery inside luggage at Bali airport
The 19-year-old is alleged to have brought 3kg of cocaine into the popular Indonesian tourist island.
Prosecutors have demanded execution by firing squad for a teenage girl they say was caught smuggling drugs into Bali in her luggage.
Manuela Vitoria de Araujo Farias, 19, from Brazil, was allegedly caught with 3kg of cocaine as she flew into the holiday island of Bali popular with Australian tourists.
Now the trial of the young woman, who has been in custody for the last three months and charged with international drug trafficking, has got underway with the prosecutors demanding the maximum penalty on April 4.
Under Indonesia's tough anti-drug laws, she could face execution by firing squad or life imprisonment if she is convicted of trafficking.
Prosecutors say that she was clearly working with the drug gang, whereas her lawyer claims that the young woman who sold lingerie and perfume for a living has been tricked by people she trusted.
She had been living between Santa Catarina in Brazil, where her mother lives, and Para where her father lives.
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Her lawyer Davi Lira da Silva claims she was tricked into cooperating after the gang who hired her told her of temples on the island where they pray for the sick.
Fari's mother had recently suffered a stroke, and her lawyers say she was going to seek Buddhist prayers for a cure.
They also claim that the gang had promised to pay for lessons for the young woman who was a keen surfer once she arrived on the island.
Her family meanwhile announced that they have set up a crowdfunding campaign to try and pay for an expert in international law to get involved in the case.
She was arrested at Bali International Airport allegedly with the drugs in her luggage after passing through airports in Brazil and Qatar.
The case was adjourned for the sentences to be announced later this month.
Investigations are reportedly ongoing into the people she claims handed her the drugs.
- Newsflash/ Australscope
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