Woman sentenced to death over 3kg of heroin

BANGLADESH – Lesedi Molapisi, a Botswana national, was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh on January 23, 2022. She had just disembarked from a Qatar Airways flight which she has boarded in South Africa.

Unaware of the situation, Lesedi’s arrival coincided with an alert that the Bangladeshi airport was being used as a hub for narcotics smuggling.

Police intercepted her as she passed through the “Green Channel” – a designated lane for passengers with no luggage to declare. A subsequent search of Lesedi’s belongings uncovered 3 kilograms of heroin hidden inside her luggage.

Bangladesh employs a strict zero-tolerance policy towards drug smuggling. Individuals found guilty of illegally cultivating, producing, transporting, exporting, or importing heroin, cocaine, and cocaine derivative drugs in quantities exceeding 25 grams or millilitres are sentenced to death.

Setlhomo Raymond Tshwanelang, a source close to the case, revealed that Lesedi Molapisi can appeal her death sentence. However, he asserted that her chances of a successful appeal are slim, and she is likely to remain on death row for the foreseeable future.