San Francisco: A drug smuggler who prosecutors say imported tonnes of marijuana into the US in the 1980s before fleeing and settling in Australia was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison.

Peyton Eidson as he appears on Amazon.com as an author. Credit:LinkedIn

US District Judge Susan Illston said her sentencing decision was "difficult", noting that Peyton Eidson was now much older and suffering from health problems.

But she also said Eidson, now 73, had escaped while co-defendants faced charges in the US, and he had a significant role in the drug operation.

Prosecutors said he traveled to Thailand in 1985 to arrange for the purchase of about 2950 kilograms. They also accused him of involvement in trying to get another load of more than 18,150 kilograms of marijuana into California.