Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

[F1205B Minimum sentence for third conviction of certain offences relating to drug trafficking.S

(1)This section applies where—

(a)a person is convicted on indictment in the High Court of a class A drug trafficking offence committed after the commencement of section 2 of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997;

(b)at the time when that offence was committed, he had attained the age of at least 18 years and had [F2two previous convictions for relevant offences], irrespective of—

(i)whether either of those offences was committed before or after the commencement of section 2 of the Crime and Punishment (Scotland) Act 1997;

(ii)the court in which any such conviction was obtained; and

(iii)his age at the time of the commission of either of those offences; and

(c)one of the offences mentioned in paragraph (b) above was committed after he had been convicted of the other.

[F3(1A) In subsection (1), “ relevant offence ” means—

(a)in relation to a conviction by a court in any part of the United Kingdom, a class A drug trafficking offence;

(b)in relation to a conviction by a court in a member State of the European Union [F4which the court passing sentence considers appropriate to take into account], an offence that is equivalent to a class A drug trafficking offence.

(1B)Any issue of equivalence arising in pursuance of subsection (1A)(b) is for the court to determine.]

(2)Subject to subsection (3) below, where this section applies the court shall sentence the person—

(a)where he has attained the age of 21 years, to a term of imprisonment of at least seven years; and

(b)where he has attained the age of 18 years but is under the age of 21 years, to detention in a young offenders institution for a period of at least seven years.

(3)The court shall not impose the sentence otherwise required by subsection (2) above where it is of the opinion that there are specific circumstances which—

(a)relate to any of the offences or to the offender; and

(b)would make that sentence unjust.

(4)For the purposes of section 106(2) of this Act a sentence passed under subsection (2) above in respect of a conviction for a class A drug trafficking offence shall not be regarded as a sentence fixed by law for that offence.

(5) In this section “ class A drug trafficking offence ” means a drug trafficking offence committed in respect of a class A drug; and for this purpose—

• “ class A drug ” has the same meaning as in the M1 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971;

• [F5 “ drug trafficking offence ” means an offence specified in paragraph 2 or (so far as it relates to that paragraph) paragraph 10 of Schedule 4 to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002; ]]

[F6(6)Any reference in this section to a previous conviction includes, where relevant, a conviction by a court in any part of the United Kingdom or in any member State of the European Union.]