KUALA LUMPUR: In the latest death penalty sentences in Malaysia on drug charges, three Mexican brothers are to be executed for illicit drug trafficking convictions, a court said late last week. The Malaysian court on Thursday sentenced to death three Mexican brothers and two others for drug trafficking, rejecting the defense argument that evidence had been tampered. The Mexicans are reportedly from Sinaloa state, the cradle of Mexico's massive drug trade, but have no criminal record. They were arrested at a secluded drug-making factory in 2008 and claimed they had been cleaning the place, not making drugs. But the court thought otherwise. Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Mohamad Zawawi Salleh convicted the five men, ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. Death sentences are mandatory for drug trafficking in Malaysia. The other defendants include a Singaporean and a Malaysian. “The court finds all five accused are aware and are involved in the activity of drug-making,” Mohamad Zawawi said, adding that the verdict should be a warning to potential drug offenders. “We are very sad. We thought we would be acquitted,” said the eldest brother, Luis Alfonso Gonzales, in comments published by The Associated Press. The court had previously rejected the defense's contention that some evidence discrepancies amounted to tampering after a chemist testified that seven items he received for analysis looked different from what he had seen at the factory. The prosecution denied there was any manipulation that undermined the trial. At the factory where the men were arrested, police found more than 29 kilograms of methamphetamine worth RM44 million ($15 million).
