An unemployed Chapeltown man who was jailed for 18 years for his part in a plot to smuggle more than £43m worth of cocaine from Venezuela has failed to get a reduction in his sentence.
Paul William Clough, 46, of Roxholme Avenue, was jailed at Woolwich Crown Court in April of last year after admitting conspiracy to commit an offence abroad.
* Click here to sign up to free news and sport email alerts from Chapel Allerton Today.His lawyers at the Court of Appeal in London argued that 15 years was the appropriate prison term, due to the level of his role in the case.
Clough's appeal was rejected by three top judges.
* Click here to become a fan of Chapel Allerton Today on Facebook.Lord Justice Rix said Clough was caught after becoming involved in a conspiracy to flood Britain with hundreds of kilos of cocaine, sourced in South America and imported via Portugal.
* Click here for latest Chapel Allerton news.But Venezuelan authorities swooped and discovered 337 kilos of cocaine, hidden in a speedboat registered to Clough.
Clough said his role was limited to purchasing the vessel, organising the installation of the drugs and transporting it to Portugal.
