A 25‑year‑old Kadavu man has been sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for the unlawful cultivation of illicit drugs.
Inoke Ratu is convicted of cultivating marijuana in Nabounikoula, Namalata in Kadavu.
Police found Ratu at his marijuana farm on the 7th of January, 2015 and uprooted 228 marijuana plants weighing 26.4 kg.
High Court Judge Justice Salesi Temo said he found the accused guilty because he had confessed to committing the offence in his caution interview with police.
Justice Temo said he considered the huge amount of marijuana that was uprooted from the farm in Kadavu as a serious aggravating factor.
The judge said the mitigating factors in his sentencing were that the accused was a first‑time offender and also because he was in remand for 1 year 8 months.
Justice Temo has also ordered for the destruction of the 228 marijuana plants.
25‑year‑old Inoke Ratu has been given a non‑parole period of 12 years.
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