A subsidiary participant in a major drug trafficking operation who performs an essential but non-managerial role (leasing premises, transporting drugs and money, making sales) should receive a sentence substantially less than that imposed on the principal or manager of such an operation. For such offenders, comparable sentences cluster around the 10-year mark before account is taken of mitigating factors. Where a very early guilty plea is entered, the reduction from the nominal sentence must be substantial enough to meaningfully reflect that plea; a reduction that effectively allows only nine months to one year for a very early plea is manifestly inadequate. The interaction between guilty plea discounts and the 10-year automatic SVO threshold must be carefully managed to avoid disproportionate consequences.
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