COURT: I have to sentence you for trafficking in dangerous drugs. It will have been explained to you that sentencing for trafficking in dangerous drugs proceeds on the basis of guidelines and the guidelines are based on the nature of the drug and the quantity of it. The drug in your case was ketamine and you had just short of 2 kilograms of it; the exact figure is 1.94 kilograms.
You were caught whilst in possession of the drugs, about to move them to the order, you said, of somebody else. You were using your own motorcar to do so.
In your favour, you can pray in aid your plea of guilty which earns you a one-third discount, and also the fact that you have reached the age of 41 with only one minor blemish on your record. That was a common assault case that attracted a fine of $1,000. So I can treat you as someone who has lived an honest and industrious life.
The guideline in your case ends with an amount of 1,000 grammes, attracting after trial a starting point of imprisonment of 14 years. For an amount almost double that, you have to expect an increase. I regret to say that it cannot be the modest increase proposed by your counsel. It obviously is not a mathematical exercise, otherwise you would be looking at 28 years, but the increase in amount has to attract some meaningful increase in the starting point.
In my judgment, the right starting point is one of 17 years. Applying a one-third discount to that would give a sentence of 11 years and 4 months. These matters are not entirely mathematical, depending on weight, and from the general feel of your case, what I am prepared to do is round that 11 years and 4 months down to 11 years. That is, in the circumstances, in my judgment, the least sentence you could possibly expect.
There is an application for forfeiture of your motorcar and that is made under section 56 of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. You clearly were using it in connection with the drug trafficking and I do order the forfeiture of the vehicle.