SYLLABUS

(This syllabus is not part of the opinion of the Court. It has been prepared by the Office of the Clerk for the convenience of the reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the Supreme Court. Please note that, in the interests of brevity, portions of any opinion may not have been summarized).

State of New Jersey v. Chris Thomas (A-43-05)

[NOTE: This is a companion case to State v. Maurice Pierce, also decided today.]

Argued November 30, 2005 -- Decided August 2, 2006

LaVECCHIA, J., writing for the Court.

This case involves a challenge to a mandatory extended-term sentence imposed on a repeat drug offender pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6(f).