Smuggled syabu for fun, prisoner shares regrets

KOTA KINABALU - Despite being sentenced to death by hanging, prisoner known as Yaya never lost hope in pleading for her sentence to be reduced.

Yaya had been detained at Kota Kinabalu Women's Prison for four years and had been continuously seeking to have her sentence reduced for smuglling five kilograms of syabu in 2019, a violation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Although her motive was merely for entertainment but she was willing to risk her life to smuggle drugs into the state.

"I was sent to jail on March 14, 2019, after being arrested for smuggling drugs at Kota Kinabalu Airport (KKIA).

"Back then I knew I was carrying syabu and I tried to smuggle it from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

"I was detained as soon as I arrived at KKIA and now I have been sentenced as the last prisoner in this prison," she said when met by reporters at Kota Kinabalu Women's Prison in Kapayan, here, recently.

Yaya, who previously worked as a graphic designer in the past, is remorseful of her actions and is currently serving time for her past mistakes.

"But I am grateful because I am learning about religion," she said.

Yaya was granted the opportunity to meet her family members during the recent Raya and spend about two hours with them, celebrating Syawal within the confines of the prison.

"My mother and younger sisters visited me.

"For me, this is the moment I have been waiting for, to meet my family members I have been missing. If it is possible, I would like to go home with them but I can't," she said.