JAKARTA, Nov 29: An Indonesian court has sentenced a Pakistani man to death for attempting to smuggle 1,050 grams of heroin into the country, a report said on Thursday.

Judge Soleh Mokoginta, at the Tanggerang district court, on Wednesday found Muhammad Abdul Hafeez, 32, guilty of trying to smuggle the drug through the capital’s international airport on June 26, the Jakarta Post reported.

Hafeez, the father of a 16-month baby, was caught shortly after he arrived from Pakistan.

Customs officials found the drugs in three packages wrapped in a jacket in his bag. The defendant told customs officers the bags contained special Pakistani food but tests found they contained heroin.

Hafeez asked for time to decide whether to appeal, the daily said.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri last month called for the death sentence for drug producers and pushers, saying drug abuse was becoming increasingly rampant and was endangering young people. Indonesia already hands down stiff penalties, including the death penalty, for drug traffickers.—AFP