SHAH ALAM: An Australian grandmother who said she was tricked into smuggling drugs into Malaysia after falling for an online romance scam was Wednesday cleared of trafficking, a crime punishable by death. Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was arrested in December 2014 at Kuala Lumpur airport with 1.1 kilos (2.4 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine stitched into the compartment of a backpack she was carrying. “I agree with the defence lawyer that the accused did not have knowledge about the drugs,” he said, adding she was innocent. When she arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to change flights, she mistakenly went through immigration as she was unfamiliar with the airport. There are numerous people on death row in Malaysia, mostly drug offenders, but executions have been rare in recent times.

Source: New Strait Times December 27, 2017 08:26 UTC