Lawyers for a former Canberra cafe owner convicted of drug trafficking called him a "model prisoner" at a sentencing hearing on Thursday.
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However, Commonwealth prosecutors said 28-year-old Brendan Baker had misrepresented himself and had begun a very serious criminal operation purely for financial reward.
Baker was found guilty in June of 11 drug related charge, including attempted drug importation.
During the trial the court heard evidence from a police informant that had trafficked drugs with Baker.
The man said Baker had approached him and offered to supply him with cheaper drugs than competitors because of his reputation as a drug dealer.
The man provided details of the operation, including that Baker bought drugs off the dark web using Bitcoin and packages of drugs arrived in a pink Barbie lunchbox.
The court was also shown numerous social media posts in which Baker posed with flashy cars and suits and attempted to flaunt his wealth, which prosecutors said couldn't be explained by his lawfully declared income.
On Thursday, the court heard from forensic psychologist Leesa Morris who had interviewed Baker and diagnosed him with persistent depressive disorder.
Ms Morris said Baker had yet to overcome childhood trauma from his parents separating and his mother experiencing drug and alcohol issues.
She said this had put him at considerable vulnerability to others as an adult and he was strongly motivated to improve his standing in life.
But she also said Baker had expressed remorse and had been excited to begin addressing his psychological issues and with counselling he would pose a low risk of reoffending.
Defence barrister Astrid Haban-Beer said her client had been a "model prisoner" who volunteered to help other inmates with literary skills and was studying a pathway course into an engineering degree.
She said his offending could be attributed to his desire to be successful but that he had been naive and immature. Ultimately, she said Baker had the capacity and willingness to contribute to society upon his release.
Prosecutor Darren Renton said the court should pay little weight to Ms Morris' assessment of Baker as it was based purely on information he had provided her.
He said Ms Morris had accepted everything Baker said at face value and aspects of what he had told her differed from evidence presented in court.
He said Baker had operated a very significant criminal enterprise and his motivation was solely financial reward. Mr Renton said Baker and his dealer had passed about $2 million between them.
Baker will be sentenced in September. His lawyers told the court he would appeal his convictions.