A sentence of 6½ years' imprisonment (reduced from a 10-year starting point by 35% for guilty plea and cooperation) for importation of 10,517 ecstasy tablets (136.3 grams pure amphetamine, approximately 65 times the marketable quantity) by a 19-year-old courier with no prior record is within the applicable sentencing range for Commonwealth importation offences, albeit towards the higher end. Personal circumstances including youth, naivety and lack of prior record are of little moment in drug importation cases where deterrence is the primary sentencing consideration.
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