Authorities arrested Eidson in the US in 1985, but he fled after posting bail and obtaining a passport under a fake name, according to prosecutors.

Eidson had lived a secret life as Michael Goldrick for almost 30 years in Australia and became such a beloved member of the town of Julatten in north Queensland where he operated a health spa that two of Queensland's best known politicians, Federal MPs Warren Entsch and Bob Katter, publicly vouched for him after his identity was revealed in 2011.

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Australian police took him back to the US in 2017, and he pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to distribute marijuana and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said.

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

Eidson told the judge he was sorry for what he had done, and had escaped 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," he said.

Guzman called for a two-year sentence, saying Eidson had spent decades in Australia "doing good" and was in poor health.

In court documents, Guzman cited a letter on Eidson's behalf by Entsch, who said Eidson had shown "outstanding character for all the years he has lived in our country."

Australian officials have agreed to allow Eidson back into the country after he serves his prison term.

The US Attorney's Office called for an eight-year sentence, saying Eidson helped organise the smuggling operation by gathering investors, travelling to Thailand to buy the drugs and obtaining a freighter in Panama to transport it.

"Without his participation, it's fair to say that this conspiracy could not have succeeded," Assistant US Attorney Frank Riebli said.

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.