Peyton Eidson's former life in the tranquility of north Queensland's rainforests was a world away as he shuffled into a San Francisco courtroom with a motley crew of other bedraggled defendants.
"Let's go," a US Marshal said as the group came through a side door.
"Keep it tight."
Eidson, 72, had lived a secret life for almost 30 years in Australia and became such a beloved member of the town of Julatten where he operated a health spa that two of Queensland's best known politicians publicly vouched for him after his identity was revealed.
US prosecutors are not so fond of Eidson.
They say the silver bearded American was the leader of a major maritime drug smuggling organisation shipping large quantities of marijuana from Asia to Northern California between 1984 and 1988.
Eidson was arrested in 1985 after US authorities seized a shipment of more than 1000kg of Thai marijuana but he allegedly fled to Australia with his wife Sonja and daughter Maya.
Eidson is accused of using the false identity of Michael Goldrick, who authorities said was a man who worked at Las Vegas and Reno casinos before dying in 1999.
Eidson, wearing a green prison jumpsuit and bright orange Croc shoes, entered not guilty pleas on Friday to the drug importation and false passport charges.
Australian Federal Police arrested the Eidsons in North Queensland in 2011.
Sonja, who went with the alias Anita McGoldrick, died in Australia from cancer last year and Maya remains in Australia.
Eidson was extradited under guard from Australia to San Francisco on Thursday and he looked weary and scruffy when he was the last of the seven defendants from unrelated cases arraigned on Friday.
Three of those grouped with him were alleged methamphetamine distributors and another was accused of being a player in a $US250 million ($A313 million) Chinese counterfeit goods operation.
Eidson's lawyer Erick Guzman told AAP Eidson will ask to be freed on bail and once his legal case is resolved he hopes to return to Australia to live.
Assistant US attorney Frank Riebli told the judge he will be opposing bail because Eidson is a flight risk.
Eidson will have to spend at least another six days in jail with the judge ordering him to remain in custody until a bail hearing on Thursday.
The long flight from Australia and Eidson's ongoing medical issues appear to have taken a toll.
"He definitely felt feeble and you could tell not only the stress of this case but the exhaustion from the flight and his overall health problems are definitely weighing on him," Mr Guzman said.
Federal MPs Warren Entsch and Bob Katter have offered their support for Eidson's return.
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