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If not for a joint submission from the Crown and defence, a Queen’s Bench judge says he would have imposed a longer sentence on a Saskatoon man who pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine over two years.

On Friday, Justice Ronald Mills sentenced Darren Craig Harper, 46, to two and a half years in prison — but not without a warning.

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“You’ve received a break through efforts of counsel. Take advantage of it,” Mills told Harper after accepting the jointly proposed sentence.

Judges are encouraged, through legislation, to accept joint submissions “unless the proposed sentence would bring the administration of justice into disrepute.”

According to the agreed statement of facts, Harper was caught selling a relatively small amount — 5.6 grams of cocaine. However, Mills said the fact that he spent $75,000 in drug money at Saskatchewan casinos proves he had been trafficking for a prolonged period of time, which could warrant a higher sentence.