Saifu Savage sentenced for ‘street-level’ cocaine dealing in Cairns bar scene
An expecting father and former emerging rugby league talent who had his career cut short, was handed a “generous” sentence after pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine.
An expecting father and former emerging rugby league talent who had his career cut short was handed a “generous” sentence after pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine.
Cairns man Saifu Savage, 22, was sentenced at Cairns Supreme Court on Wednesday for selling cocaine about 100 times to atleast 50 different customers over an “intense” four-and-a-half month period to November 2023, around the city’s night-life scene.
Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald said Savage was a “street-level” dealer who took multiple forms of payment including cash, but bank deposits estimated he had profited more than $47,000 from his offending.
Ms Friedewald said Savage, who was 20 at the time of his offending, was selling cocaine for about $350 per gram and was identified through a “large” police investigation at the time.
“Police were at the home of another target when the defendant (Savage) arrived during the search warrant. He was arrested for trafficking drugs and a search warrant was ultimately executed upon his home here in Cairns,” she said.
The court was told Savage was released on bail after a police interview, following his arrest in November 2023, and had served no time in custody.
Ms Friedewald submitted for a head sentence of four to five years’ imprisonment but said the Crown accepted “less than one-third” be served, with mitigating features including Savage’s age, co-operation with police and early guilty plea.
Savage’s defence lawyer Bebe Mellick told the court his client was born in Sierra Leone and moved to Australia with his mother and siblings in 2008.
He said Savage completed year 11 at Trinity Bay State High School, before he was offered a football scholarship during year 12 at Ipswich.
“His rugby league career looked promising your honour, but at the end grade of 12 … he was in hospital for about a week.
“It’s one of those sliding door moments – but for that injury he may well have had a very promising career as a footballer in South East Queensland and unlikely to appear before you today.”
Mr Mellick said Savage was currently working as a water blaster and was expecting a child with his partner of the past five months, in the middle of next year.
“So, he has much to look forward to, he’s under no misapprehension that he must serve some time for his conduct,” Mr Mellick said.
But Chief Justice Helen Bowskill told Mr Mellick she would make a decision that was “more generous” than what he had submitted, before sentencing Savage to four years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended.
“Although your lawyer has made a very reasonable submission about suspending that after six months, I’m actually going to be more lenient than that,” she said.
“I’m doing that because it’s not unusual for the court to recognise somebody being young and not having criminal history.
“I really want you to walk away from this knowing you have been given a huge opportunity … to put this behind you.”
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Originally published as Saifu Savage sentenced for ‘street-level’ cocaine dealing in Cairns bar scene
