A court may proceed to sentence a prisoner in absentia where the prisoner has voluntarily absconded during trial. For sentencing purposes in drug importation cases, the principal organiser and financier occupies the highest level of criminality. A sentence of 12 years with a 9-year non-parole period was appropriate for a principal offender in the importation of approximately 1,933 grams of pure cocaine, taking into account the absence of mitigating factors other than delay.
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