CRIMINAL CASE NO. 372 OF 2010
COURT: I have to sentence you for trafficking in a dangerous drug. The drug in question was “Ice”. You were in possession of 95 grammes of it and you were carrying it for somebody else for a reward of $300.
It will have been explained to you that sentencing for drug trafficking is carried out pursuant to guidelines which are, in turn, based on the quantity and nature of the drug. The guideline for trafficking in “Ice” runs from, the relevant one, 70 to 300 grammes, attracting a starting point, after trial, for sentence of 10 to 14 years.
I give you credit for your plea of guilty. That earns a one-third discount. In looking at the right overall starting point here, I bear in mind that that plea was entered at the first available opportunity in the Magistrates Court.
I take into account your co-operation with the police and because you behaved honestly right from the beginning, I shall give weight to the assertions you made when you were arrested, namely, that this was the first time that you had done it and you were only doing it, carrying the drugs for a short distance, for a small reward. I also take into account what I have been told about your background by your counsel.
For all of those reasons, I will take a starting point at the bottom end of the bracket, namely, one of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Applying the one-third discount results in a sentence of 6 years and 8 months’ imprisonment. In my view, that is the least sentence you could expect.