Jailed drug dealer sentenced again on other offences [1]
Saturday, September 10, 2022 - 09:30
Prisoner Piliote Uasike (26) was sentenced to three-years for possessing of 4.66 grams of methamphetamine, found on him. A repeat drug offender, he is already in prison serving time on other drugs offences.
His three-year sentence is being served concurrently with his current sentence.
On 2 September, Hon. Justice P. Tupou KC sentenced him at the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa. This was after he pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing illicit drugs and utensils, in April earlier this year.
The judge said, the offending was on 5 September 2021 when a call for assistance was received at the Mu'a Police Station from 'Anitelu Moa and the community watch team at Kolonga, who had stopped the defendant and female companion on the road, in their vehicle, for breaching the curfew that night.
The defendant and his companion were taken to the Mu'a Police Station, where he was searched and Police found three small plastic packs, containing the white substance, an empty pack inside the left pocket of the histrousers and residue of a white substance from inside that pocket.
The Drugs Enforcement Taskforce was alerted and officers were quickly dispatched to the Mu'a Police Station.
The defendant admitted that the substances found on his person were his. The officers undertook a warrantless search of the defendant's vehicle and found three empty plastic packs on the front passenger seat, two test tubes inside the flap of the sun visor on the driver's side and one straw, on the floor directly below the driver's seat.
He admitted that the utensils were his.
The judge said that the white substances in the three plastic bags and the residue from the defendant's trousers were tested and confirmed to be methamphetamine and weighed at 4.66 grams in total.
The Crown also submitted that the aggravating factors included, the fact that Class A drugs in Tonga is a scourge to society and the presence of the three packs containing methamphetamine, empty dealer packs and other drug related utensils and the drugs quantity, suggested possession for supply.
The defendant was also currently serving a sentence of one-year and eight-months, with four-months' suspension, imposed on the 24 September 2021.
Selling drugs
Meanwhile, his pre-sentence reported that apart from various minor paid chores, the defendant's main means of an income wa sfrom selling drugs.
The defendant also told the probation officer that he was prepared to accept the consequences if he was caught, and had expressed remorse.
“He is also undertaking a rehabilitation program under the supervision of Rev. Semisi Kava while in prison and finds the program helpful wants to change from his wayward ways and intends to change his life for the better.”
The judge ordered that the instant sentence is to be served concurrently, resulting in a total sentence of three-years imprisonment.
"To give effect to the totality principle, the head sentence for Count 1 is to be served concurrently with the sentence imposed at the Magistrates Court in CR 258-259/21, making a total aggregate sentence of 3 years inclusive of the time already served."
“After, considering his expression of remorse and desire to change for a better life, and that he is likely to take the opportunity offered by a suspended sentence to rehabilitate himself.”
The final 12-months of the aggregate sentence was suspended for two-years on conditions, ordered the judge.