Read the full judgment text of DCCC 1144/2016 on BabelCite. This District Court judgment was delivered on 8 May 2017 before Deputy District Judge Jason Wan.
Criminal law – drug trafficking – trafficking in cocaine – Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap 134) s.4(1)(a) and (3) – sentencing – guilty plea discount – 35.90 grammes of solid containing 23 grammes of cocaine – street value HK$51,588.30 – defendant intercepted after alighting from private vehicle – defendant admitted to bringing drugs for HK$500 reward – four previous convictions but none drug-related – first ever drug-related conviction – starting point of 5½ years (66 months) adopted per Attorney General v Pedro Nel Rojas [1994] 2 HKCLR 69, which applied the heroin tariff from The Queen v Lau Tak Ming & others [1990] 2 HKLR 370 to trafficking 10 to 50 grammes of cocaine (5 to 8 years' imprisonment) – no mitigating factors other than guilty plea – one-third discount for guilty plea – final sentence of 44 months' imprisonment.
Outcome: Defendant sentenced to 44 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to trafficking in a dangerous drug.