DW was charged with ‘Supply Large Commercial Quantity of Prohibited Drug (Heroin)’, contrary to section 25(2) Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985. The maximum penalty for this offence is ‘life’ imprisonment, with a standard non-parole period of 15 years and/or a fine of 5,000 penalty units (or $605,000.)
Upon negotiating with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Chris Cole succeeded in having the charge reduced to ‘Knowingly take part in the supply of large commercial quantity of prohibited drug (heroin)’, to appropriately reflect DW’s role in the offending. This offence carries the same maximum penalty.
Chris briefed Counsel Nancy Mikhail to act for DW at his sentence proceedings at the District Court. A comprehensive sentence bundle of DW’s subjective materials was prepared and tendered at his proceedings, supplemented by oral submissions. Ultimately, DW was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment, comprising of a non-parole period of 15 months.
This is an outstanding outcome for DW, particularly noting the serious nature and maximum penalty of the offence.