Two brothers have been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after being convicted for the charge of Unlawful Cultivation of Illicit Drugs.
31-year-old Joseva Vonokula and 20-year-old Iliavi Sauledeci pleaded guilty last week in the Lautoka High Court that they cultivated marijuana in the highlands of Navosa.
Police uprooted 329 plants from two farms in the jungle.
While sentencing them High Court Judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe highlighted that marijuana is an addictive illicit drug, which carries a wide spectrum of adverse personal and social effects.
He says the sentencing of offenders of such offences must reflect the intention of the legislature, which is mainly founded on the principles of prevention and deterrence of offenders of committing such offences.
Both will be eligible for parole after spending eight years behind bars.
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