Where an offender has engaged in repeated drug supply offences amounting to trafficking, a full-time custodial sentence should be imposed unless there are exceptional circumstances. However, even a single offence may require a custodial sentence if it was the result of a sophisticated commercial arrangement. The concept of 'trafficking' should not be given a rigid definition confined to cases where supply on more than one occasion is proved; involvement in an ongoing arrangement for drug supply may suffice. Hardship to young children may constitute 'highly exceptional circumstances' justifying amelioration of sentence where both parents face imprisonment and the children's health is demonstrably affected.
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