A prisoner in Britain who ran an international cocaine ring from his jail cell via Cork was sentenced to 18 years in jail today.
Judge Bryn Holloway said the “sophisticated and well organised conspiracy” beggared belief and raised questions over the controls on George Moon, 62, who led the operation from behind bars in a Doncaster jail.
Today, Moon was jailed for 18 years after admitting importing cocaine with a 100 per cent purity from south America in packages delivered by Royal Mail Parcel Force, DHL and TNT.
Moon, who had already been jailed three times for drugs offences, used two Virgin sim cards and a contraband mobile phone in HMP Lindholme to contact Leo Morgan, from Birmingham, who was locked up in Panama’s El Renacer Prison last year.
The pair orchestrated between two and three kilos’ worth of cocaine with a street value of about £300,000 to be smuggled into England and Ireland.
Jailing Moon, of Liverpool, Judge Holloway told Liverpool Crown Court: “There are a number of most unusual features about this case.
“The first extraordinary feature was that from this end the operation was being run by you George Moon while actively serving a 14-year sentence imposed in 2003 for being involved in earlier importations of cocaine.
“You had already served five and six-year sentences, this is your fourth sentence.
“You were able, while a prisoner, to access mobile phones.
“With the support of assistants outside you were able to run this importation by being in regular contact with them and with people in South America and Ireland while looking after this conspiracy to achieve its objectives.
“An even more extraordinary fact was the South America end of this conspiracy was being run by an Englishman who was, at the time, a prisoner in Panama serving a sentence or awaiting trial.”
It “beggared belief” said the judge.
“The fact you were able to do that in an English prison raises questions over the levels of supervision and control over you.”