Indonesian Woman Jailed in Malaysia for Drug Trafficking Reconnects with family After 14 Years, Guided by Hand-Drawn Map
MALACCA, โMalaysia โ – After more than โa decade of uncertainty and fears of execution, Ani Anggraeni, an Indonesian woman imprisoned in Malaysia for drugโฃ trafficking, has been reunited with her family thanks to a detailed map she drew from memory. The map, depicting landmarks nearโ her Jakarta home, allowed relatives to finally โlocate her after losing contact in 2017.
Ani, now โ65 and battling cancer, wasโค arrested in 2011 at Penang airport โขfor attempting to smuggle 4kg (8.8lbs)โ of methamphetamine into โMalaysia. She was sentenced under โthe country’s strict anti-drug laws, which carry โฃanโ automatic โdeath penalty. Like many Indonesiansโฃ seekingโ economic opportunities, Ani, then 51, โhad traveledโ to Malaysia for work,โ unaware โคshe was being used as a drugโข mule.She believed she was delivering luxury clothes.
The reunion followed โฃyears ofโ desperate searching by Ani’s family, who feared theโฃ worst as Malaysia carries out executions for drug offenses. Contact was severed when โAni’s daughter misplaced the only phone โขcontaining ani’s number – the sole means of communication.
“She was โcontracted to pick up a packageโฆshe was instead arrested,” a family member explained, recounting the events that led to Ani’s imprisonment.
After โbeing moved between several prisons,Ani is currently incarcerated at Sungaiโ Udang prison โin Malacca.The hand-drawn map,detailing a mosque,train station,and surrounding Jakarta lanes,proved crucial in re-establishing contact โขand โคconfirming she was still alive. Theโฃ case highlights the plight of over aโข million Indonesiansโ who migrate to โMalaysia for work, often โขfacing precarious conditions and legal risks.