In an anti-narcotics operation, the defendant was seen talking to his girlfriend at a house in a village. A search revealed four packets of drugs in the front trouser pocket of the defendant, and he under admission admitted that he would deliver the drugs for someone at HK$1,000. He also showed the police officers to the cabinet where 17 other packets of drugs were found.
Upon analysis, the drugs were found to be 495.7 grammes of a solid containing 327.4 grammes of cocaine.
The defendant, who is now aged 25, has no previous conviction. I was told that the defendant was a part-time transportation worker whilst he also ran a garage business with his elder brother, and he was commented to be a conscientious young man but he was led to commit the present offence by a person whom he got to know in a video game centre who lured him to deliver drugs at an award of $1,000 per day as he wanted to earn more money.
I was told that by making full confession and full cooperation with the police with genuine attempts to assist the police shows his genuine remorse. Counsel urged the court to treat this defendant as leniently as possible.
In sentencing drug-related offences, very little credit is given by the court to factors other than a defendant’s guilty plea. The tariff is one based on the weight of the narcotics. I have taken into account all that could have been said by his counsel, his guilty plea and the letters in mitigation.
The total narcotics in the present case was 327.4 grammes. And for trafficking in cocaine between 200 to 400 grammes, the tariff is one between 12 to 15 years.
I adopt a starting point of 14 years’ imprisonment. He is entitled to the full one-third discount for his plea. There is nothing in this case which warrants further discount. He is sentenced to 9 years and 4 months’ imprisonment.