The accused, a first-time offender, was convicted of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a loaded restricted firearm, and related offences.
The court considered the aggravating factors of commercial drug trafficking combined with a loaded firearm, balanced against mitigating factors including the accused's lack of a criminal record, strong community support, and strict compliance with bail conditions.
The court imposed a global sentence of 6.5 years, with concurrent sentences for the drug and firearm offences to avoid double-counting and respect totality.
After applying credit for pre-sentence custody and mitigation for harsh bail conditions, the net sentence was 5.5 years' imprisonment.
