Read the full judgment text of HCCC 530/2013 on BabelCite. This Court of First Instance judgment was delivered on 25 February 2014 before Hon E Toh J.
Criminal law – trafficking in dangerous drug – methamphetamine hydrochloride (230 grammes) – cross-border collection from mainland – guilty plea at early stage – sentencing guidelines – repeat drug offender – Criminal law – sentencing – Trafficking in a dangerous drug – methamphetamine hydrochloride – guideline sentence of 10 to 14 years' imprisonment after trial for 70 to 300 grammes of 'ice' under HKSAR v Ching Kwok Hung (1991) – whether uplift warranted for deliberate cross-border trip to collect drugs – whether one-third discount applies for early guilty plea – Starting point of 13 years uplifted by 1 year to 14 years for cross-border collection, then reduced by one third for guilty plea – Final sentence of 9 years and 4 months' imprisonment – Defendant aged 64 with 15 prior convictions including a 2007 trafficking offence (5 years 4 months) – Reference to CACC 85/2014 for any appeal.
Legal issues: Sentencing for trafficking in methamphetamine hydrochloride (230 grammes)
Outcome: Defendant sentenced to 9 years and 4 months' imprisonment for trafficking in a dangerous drug.