In Michigan, if you get busted for drug trafficking, you are most likely going to spend a very long time behind bars. In some cases, that may even be a life sentence. But there is a difference between paying for your crime with your life time, and paying with your life.
Indonesia recently executed eight people who were accused of drug smuggling (also known as trafficking) – and you thought our drug penalties were harsh. But what makes this even more significant is the fact that of those eight people, only one was actually an Indonesian.
The remaining seven people were two Australians, four Nigerians and a Brazilian. In other words, people from other countries were executed in Indonesia. And why is this significant? Because it makes very clear a few facts that Americans rarely, if ever, stop to consider when choosing to break the law.
If you commit a crime here in Michigan, or in any other state for that matter, you are still afforded the same rights as all of our fair country’s other citizens. Regardless of how heinous the accusations against you, you will still be given a fair trial, an opportunity to defend yourself in court, and a chance at proving your innocence. Failing that, if you are incarcerated, while no one would make the mistake of assuming that prison is a vacation, at least you won’t be put to death.
But those facts are only true when you commit crimes on American soil. If you break the law here in Michigan, you are subject to Michigan’s penal code, including specific drug penalties. And that pretty much applies for every other state in the US. But if you break the law in say,…Germany, or Thailand, or the Czech Republic, you are no longer afforded the same rights as you would be here.
Drug penalties differ from state to state, and country to country
Additionally, if you are detained in the foreign country and accused of a crime, you cannot simply hire your attorney of choice from back home, as there are rules that govern exactly where an attorney may practice. Even here in the U.S., a Texan attorney could not practice here in Michigan without first taking the MIchigan bar or getting special permission from the court (called pro hac vice). Why? Because our laws are not the same. Which is pretty much the same reason for attorneys who want to practice law overseas. Drug penalties differ from state to state, and country to country.
Apparently, the Brazilian government had requested a stay of execution because the Brazilian citizen slated for execution was a diagnosed schizophrenic. But to no avail. The Australian government is withdrawing their ambassador from Indonesia as a protest against what they claim was a cruel and barbaric practice.
But none of that changes anything. Those eight people are still dead. So if we are to have a moral for this story, it would be this: Be careful and cautious when traveling. Here in Michigan, if you make a mistake, or make a bad choice, we can help you. Overseas, in a foreign country, there is nothing that we, or any other reputable Michigan attorney can do to assist.