Indonesian Woman Jailed in Malaysia for Drug Trafficking Reconnects with family After 14 Years, Guided by Hand-Drawn Map
MALACCA, Malaysia – After more than a decade of uncertainty and fears of execution, Ani Anggraeni, an Indonesian woman imprisoned in Malaysia for drug trafficking, has been reunited with her family thanks to a detailed map she drew from memory. The map, depicting landmarks near her Jakarta home, allowed relatives to finally locate her after losing contact in 2017.
Ani, now 65 and battling cancer, was arrested in 2011 at Penang airport for attempting to smuggle 4kg (8.8lbs) of methamphetamine into Malaysia. She was sentenced under the country’s strict anti-drug laws, which carry an automatic death penalty. Like many Indonesians seeking economic opportunities, Ani, then 51, had traveled to Malaysia for work, unaware she was being used as a drug mule.She believed she was delivering luxury clothes.
The reunion followed years of desperate searching by Ani’s family, who feared the worst as Malaysia carries out executions for drug offenses. Contact was severed when Ani’s daughter misplaced the only phone containing ani’s number – the sole means of communication.
“She was contracted to pick up a package…she was instead arrested,” a family member explained, recounting the events that led to Ani’s imprisonment.
After being moved between several prisons,Ani is currently incarcerated at Sungai Udang prison in Malacca.The hand-drawn map,detailing a mosque,train station,and surrounding Jakarta lanes,proved crucial in re-establishing contact and confirming she was still alive. The case highlights the plight of over a million Indonesians who migrate to Malaysia for work, often facing precarious conditions and legal risks.