Peyton Eidson, 74, apologised for his deeds after heading major marijuana smuggling operation and fleeing US in 1986

Fugitive drug smuggler who lived in Australia under fake name jailed in US

A Californian drug smuggler and fugitive who lived under an assumed identity in Australia for almost 30 years has been sentenced to three years in jail by a San Francisco court.

Peyton Eidson, 74, was the head of a major marijuana smuggling operation using an ocean-going freighter to ship 18,000kg loads of the drug from Thailand to the US in the 1980s.

Eidson fled the US for Australia in 1986 after being arrested and released on bail in California.

It is not the same world as 1985 and I am not the same person I was in 1985 Peyton Eidson

Eidson and his wife, Sonya, obtained fake US passports using aliases Michael and Anita McGoldrick and settled in the north Queensland town of Julatten, where they operated a health spa and, over the decades, became beloved members of the community.

US officials discovered his real identity in 2011 and Australian police sent him back to the US in 2017. He pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to distribute marijuana and aggravated identity theft.

Eidson appeared in court on Friday in a wheelchair and coughed frequently during the hearing. His lawyer, Erick Guzman, said Eidson suffered from a lung disease and required access to an oxygen tank.

Eidson apologised for what he had done and said he escaped the US to avoid tearing up his family. His daughter, Maya, was in court and dabbed tears from her eyes as her father spoke.

“It is not the same world as 1985 and I am not the same person I was in 1985,” Eidson said.

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After lobbying from federal MP Warren Entsch, Australia’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, indicated he could support Eidson’s wish to move back to Australia once he serves his US sentence.

Letters from Entsch and Dutton were submitted to US district court judge Susan Illston before Friday’s sentencing.

Prosecutors called for Eidson to be sentenced to eight years’ jail, while Eidson’s lawyer asked for a two-year sentence.

Sonya died from cancer last year and Maya remains in Australia. Maya, 48, said bringing her father to the US to face charges was excessive.

“He might have spent a few years on the wrong side of the fence, but he definitely tried really hard to make amends for all of that,” she said.