A man has been sentenced to two years and two months in prison after being found in possession of 35.48 grams of methamphetamine.

Nimish Deo Singh was convicted of unlawful possession of illicit drugs.

Puisne Judge Usaia Ratuvili determined Singh’s personal culpability to be high, noting that Singh made active attempts to conceal the drugs.

Despite submissions regarding the purity of the methamphetamine, the judge Ratuvili states that the Illicit Drugs Control Act criminalizes possession of any amount of methamphetamine, irrespective of its purity.

The judge says that the State argued that the sentence aimed to punish Singh justly, address public denunciation and deter others from committing similar offenses.

Despite being a first-time offender with a previously clean record, judge Ratuvili adds that the severity of the crime was heightened by the increasing prevalence of such offenses and public concern over the accessibility of methamphetamine to young people.