Carlos Davide Ferreira-Sampaio, 47, was jailed for five years and two months when he appeared before the High Court at Dunedin in May, a sentence due to expire in November 2027.
But this month, the Parole Board determined he would be returned to his homeland imminently.
"The authorities in Portugal and Spain are aware of his circumstances and will be in a position to adequately address any safety concerns upon his return to the community there," panel convener Neville Trendle said.
"We are satisfied that Mr Ferreria-Sampaio’s release will not pose an undue risk to community safety in New Zealand or Portugal."
At sentencing, the court heard the defendant left the Portuguese military to oversee restaurants and care for his daughters.
But the Covid pandemic resulted in severe financial strain and when Ferreira-Sampaio accumulated a gambling debt, he was recruited by an international drug cartel.
He was tasked with travelling to Melbourne — where he enlisted the help of a similarly struggling local stripper Matthew Hodder — to
retrieve 91kg of cocaine that had been stashed in the hull of a container ship.
Unbeknown to the gang, the class-A drug haul had been seized from the 254m Spirit of Auckland when it had docked in Philadelphia.
After an aborted bid to secure the cocaine in Melbourne, Ferreira-Sampaio and Hodder travelled to Dunedin for the vessel’s next stop.
But by this stage, the duo were firmly in the crosshairs of police who had been briefed by their international colleagues.
Once the ship had docked, Hodder searched for the duffel bags he believed were stashed in an intake grate, as his handler maintained contact with him from the shore.
The pair left Port Otago empty-handed and were arrested as they returned to Dunedin’s CBD for breakfast.
The Parole Board said Ferreira-Sampaio had "strong support, a place to return to and employment opportunities" when he returned home.
A rehabilitation course he was scheduled to attend was unnecessary, Mr Trendle said.
Ferreira-Sampaio would be deported on September 2.
He was ordered not to return to New Zealand.
Hodder, who went by the stage names "Matty Thunder" and "DIY Dave" during his exotic dancing career, was declined parole in April and will appear before the board again next year.
The board said he should complete a six-month dependency treatment programme before he was released in Australia.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
