SELF-EMPLOYED businessman Imran Khan has been jailed for four years and three months after being convicted of unlawfully possessing 4.1364 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a modified water bottle inside his vehicle.
Sentencing Khan yesterday, Magistrate Yogesh Prasad said the jail term reflected the seriousness of the offence and intended to send a strong deterrent message to the community that lengthy custodial sentences would be imposed on those involved in the use and distribution of hard drugs in Fiji.
Khan was convicted of one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs after police discovered the drugs hidden inside a modified water bottle in his vehicle on February 7, 2023.
Magistrate Prasad noted that police, with support from the military, were confronting a significant rise in hard drug offences across the country. He said deterrence through substantial prison sentences was necessary to demonstrate that the courts would show no leniency in cases involving the possession or sale of hard drugs.
The magistrate also referred to the increasing spread of HIV in Fiji and observed that the sharing of syringes among drug users contributed to the public health crisis.
He said courts had a duty to consider the broader public interest, including deterrence and efforts to combat the spread of HIV.
Khan will be eligible for parole after serving three years of his sentence and has 28 days to appeal to the High Court.
