Only five drug dealers get tough 10-year sentence

ONLY five drug dealers out of 130 convicted under supposedly tough anti-narcotics legislation have received the mandatory 10-year jail term demanded by law.

The 1999 legislation lays down the mandatory sentence for anyone caught in possession with intent of more than 12,600 of drugs, no matter what class or type. The law is regarded by some in legal circles as undermining the independence of the judiciary.

But only a handful of those found guilty have received the sentence as judges preferred to take on board mitigating factors and impose lower jail terms.