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Malaysia's Supreme Court on Friday sentenced a prominent disc jockey to death by hanging for attempting to smuggle heroin, state television channel TV-1 reported.

One of the most popular disc jockeys in the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak, 31-year-old Sia Pang Liong, was detained at Kuala Lumpur airport in September 2003. During a customs check, 2.6 kilograms of heroin, packaged in four plastic bags, were found in the personal belongings of Shia, who was on a flight to Amsterdam.

During the three-year investigation, Shia Pan Liong admitted that he had accepted an offer from unknown persons to transport "traditional Chinese medicine made from medicinal herbs" to the Netherlands.

According to him, in addition to paying for air tickets, he was promised a reward of $5,500 for transporting the cargo.

"The gravity of the crime committed is beyond doubt, and since the defendant's act falls under the jurisdiction of the Dangerous Drugs Act, the only punishment is the death penalty," the channel quotes Chief Justice Zaharah Ibrahim as saying in his closing statement.

A law providing for execution by hanging for drug smuggling and possession was passed in Malaysia in 1975. Eight years later, its scope of application was significantly expanded. Now, possession of more than 15 grams of heroin or 200 grams of marijuana, as well as importing potent drugs into the country, is punishable by death, regardless of the nationality of the offender.

Malaysian law, considered one of the toughest in the world in relation to drug couriers, generally does not take into account exculpatory or mitigating circumstances. Thus, in early November, a retired military man - the father of 11 children - was sentenced to capital punishment.

Despite such tough criminal legislation and the dominant role of Islam, which prohibits not only drug use but also alcohol, the number of drug addicts in the country is constantly growing. Thus, last year 290 thousand drug addicts were registered in Malaysia, while two years ago there were less than 255 thousand.

The overwhelming majority of drug addicts are young people aged 17 to 29, who make up almost 70% of the country's population.

"Considering that for every addict arrested, there are three who are not identified, this figure is at least three times higher," said Malaysia's Deputy Education Minister Noh Omar.