MALAYSIA: HIGH COURT SENTENCES IRANIAN MAN TO DEATH FOR TRAFFICKING DRUGS

A Malaysian court sentenced an Iranian man to death by hanging for trafficking methamphetamine into the country.
Prosecutor Rozanna Abdul Hadi says a High Court in central Selangor state found 50-year-old Rouhollah Ahmadzadeh Irandoust guilty. Drug trafficking carries the mandatory death penalty.
Authorities arrested Irandoust in June last year after finding 2 pounds (one kilogram) of methamphetamine in his luggage when he arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Rozanna said the court dismissed Irandoust's defence that the bag wasn't his.
Malaysian authorities have stepped up surveillance on Iranian travellers following a recent spike in drug trafficking cases, partly fueled by rising demand and high prices.