A drug-smuggling Crook hairdresser stashed more than 67kg of cannabis in his luggage in a bid to clear drug debt, court documents reveal.
Salon owner Richard William Moore started a six-year stretch behind bars in a Portugese prison earlier this year, the Echo revealed last month.
Now, papers from a failed appeal to shorten his sentence detail that Moore was promised £15,000 to hide 68 packages of cannabis and fly the drugs from Bangkok, Thailand, to Lisbon, Portugal, last July.
The 45-year-old had agreed to act as a courier to pay off overhanging debts; a drug-related debt in his name from a former partner and a relative's debt, a court heard.
But the salon owner’s bid for “quick profits” was rumbled by the Polícia Judiciária when he touched down at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon at 12.19pm on July 2.
After officers became suspicious that Moore had trafficked drugs across the border, they took him to a baggage claim carousel where he identified three suitcases as his own.
Police then uncovered 68 packages of cannabis concealed inside the checked luggage from the flight, which was destined for Dubai, in white and transparent vacuum sealed bags.
The drugs had a total net weight of 67,225.893 grams, which is sufficient to produce 259,149 average individual daily doses.
Officers also seized a number of his belongings and discovered that his phone had been used to arrange for the transport of the cannabis.
Moore, who has been a hairdresser and salon owner in the region for years, working for both Saks and Escape Hairdressing, was convicted of drug trafficking on March 23.
Despite admitting the offence, he appealed the six-year sentence - wanting it to be reduced to four - but this was thrown out by the Supreme Court of Justice in June.
Lisbon Prison, in Portugal (Image: GOOGLE)
Appeal court judges stated in court documents that Moore made a “personal choice” to act as a drug courier, with trafficking being punishable in Portugal by four to 12 years in prison.
They said the defendant was “perfectly aware of the narcotic nature and characteristics of the product he was transporting” and that he “acted freely, voluntarily and consciously.”
Drug debt woes led to smuggling - but Moore acted with ‘direct intent’
The court heard how Moore had an outstanding drug-related debt incurred by his former partner in his name.
Documents detail how a relative of Moore's also had debt problems with third parties - leaving him "fearing for his own life" and the life of his family.
Moore, who has no history of drug use apart from the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, agreed to carry out the transport of the drugs in order to pay off both these debts.
Richard Moore, from Crook (Image: FB)
Judges agreed that Moore, who has been in custody since arriving in Portugal, acted “with direct intent”.
They said that, despite cannabis being a “soft” drug, they “cannot ignore the large quantity of product transported by the defendant”.
Moore argued that the court had not taken into consideration how he freely confessed to trafficking, expressed remorse, and had “genuinely non-existent” wealth.
He said the six-year sentence was “excessive”, given his full confession and cooperation with the Portuguese justice system.
The judges noted the remorse he had shown and the reason behind his actions being “economic hardship”, saying how he intended to return home, address his mental health issues, and “seek a new direction in his life”, after serving time.
They said Moore was “aiming to frame his current prison term as a learning experience and a motivation for change” and has a "willingness to continue living a law-abiding life”.
However, the judges decided that six years in jail is “fair, adequate, and proportionate”, adding that Moore only showed remorse after being caught.
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They said if it weren’t for his mitigating factors previously presented during court, he could have ended up with eight years in jail.
“The appellant seems to believe that if he is unemployed and experiencing some economic difficulties, this environment justifies his involvement in the transportation of narcotic substances,” the appeal judges agreed.
The appeal was thrown out and Moore will continue to serve his six year sentence.