COURT: The defendant pleaded guilty to trafficking 198 grammes of ketamine.
At about 2.50 am on 1 April 2015, police officers intercepted the defendant while he was about to exit 193 Fa Yuen Street. The police officers saw the defendant dropping a white plastic bag to the ground. They searched the plastic bag and found another transparent plastic bag containing the ketamine in the charge. The defendant admitted under caution that he carried the ketamine for others. He was not paid.
The estimated value of the ketamine was about $38,000.
The defendant is 17 years old. He has three previous offences, all were dealt with by a Superintendent caution. He received education up to form one. He was a trainee hairstylist at the time of the offence earning about 10,000 per month. His parents had divorced. He lives with his grandparents. He is not an addict.
The defendant submitted a letter showing great remorse. He has disappointed his family. He promises to turn a new leaf and pleads for leniency. Other letters from relatives and friends indicate that the defendant lacked guidance in the past and was unhappy after the divorce of his parents. He is, nevertheless, an obedient young person.
A deterrent sentence is indicated even for traffickers of a young age. Immediate custodial sentence is warranted to reflect its serious nature. There is no room for departing from the tariff in this case.
For the 198 grammes of ketamine, according to the tariff set out in Secretary for Justice v Hii Siew Cheng, the starting point should be imprisonment for 7 years and 9 months. I deduct 2 years and 7 months for his plea. There being no valid reason for further reduction, I sentence the defendant to imprisonment for 5 years and 2 months.