Inp.polri.go.id - Medan. The Medan District Court sentenced a man to death for owning and running an illicit home-based ecstasy factory in Medan, North Sumatra on Thursday (6/3/2025). 

The ruling, delivered by a panel of judges presided over by Judge Nani Sukmawati, found the defendant, identified as Hendrik Kusumo (41),  guilty of producing and distributing over five grams of narcotics, according to antaranews.com.

Four accomplices received varying sentences: Mhd Syahrul Savawi alias Dodi was handed life imprisonment, while Arpen Tua Purba, Hilda Dame Ulina Pangaribuan, and Hendrik’s wife, Debby Kent, were each sentenced to 20 years.

Authorities uncovered the operation in June 2024, seizing production equipment, 635 ecstasy pills, and precursor chemicals. Investigators revealed the syndicate had been supplying nightclubs in North Sumatra, including Pematangsiantar.

The court cited public distress and noncompliance with anti-narcotics policies as aggravating factors. The defendants have seven days to appeal the ruling.

(mg/inp/pr/nm)