Our client was charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of the drug 1,4 butanediol. Police searched her home and located several bottles of the drug in a safe.

After analysis the drugs were found to weigh 2.1kg, a commercial quantity is 2kg. A finding of guilt for that charge would have to be heard in the County Court and would have likely involved a significant term of imprisonment.

Our client came to us from another law firm who had advised her to plead guilty to the charge. We argued to the prosecution that our client may not have known there was over 2kg of the drug and therefore did not have the intent to traffick a commercial quantity.

The prosecution accepted our argument and withdrew commercial quantity. Our client pleaded guilty to just trafficking and was sentenced in the Magistrates’ Court to a Community Corrections Order.