A Malaysian High Court has sentenced three Indonesian men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of trafficking in almost 2 kilograms of cannabis five years ago, a news report said Monday, dpa reported.
The trio, aged between 31 and 42, were found guilty of attempting to sell 1,858.6 grams of the drug in the northern state of Kedah.
The men had denied knowing that the drugs were in the car they were in at the time of the arrest, but the High Court judge dismissed their defence, saying that witnesses statements proved the men had "lied through their teeth," the Star newspaper said.
The men's lawyers have said they will appeal against the sentencing.
Despite Malaysia's tough drug laws which prescribe the mandatory death sentence for trafficking, the number of drug smuggling cases continue to rise every year as authorities believe the country is a transit point for international trafficking rings.