A refugee from Turkey has received a lengthy prison sentence after a large drug bust in 2011.

Esfandiar Henareh was living in the 1700 block of Southeast Kent Avenue in Vancouver when RCMP found approximately 14 kilograms of opium in the trunk of his vehicle.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jeanne Watchuk sentenced him to three years in jail following a guily plea for possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Watchuk's oral reasons for sentence were posted on the B.C. Supreme Court website on New Year's Eve.

The decision noted that the opium "would equate to approximately 68,935 doses at the average level of 200 milligrams per dose. A subject who is heavily addicted to opium could possibly use 1 to 3 grams of opium daily. The seizure would therefore amount to about 12.5 years of supply for one individual using 3 grams per day."

Henareh's co-accused, Salamat Ravandi, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in October. His conviction came after he drove a U-Haul van of 18 kilograms of opium from the Vancouver International Airport to a location near Henareh's home. This shipment was smuggled into Canada inside samovars.

Henareh subsequently drove Ravandi home.

According to the oral reasons for sentence, Ravandi had left Henareh's Honda shortly before the drug bust occurred in an alley behind the 4300 block of Maywood Street in Burnaby.

Watchuk determined that Henareh was "an employee in a position of trust as indicated by his possession of a valuable asset, the opium".

"Although they may well also have been friends, this was a business relationship between Mr. Henareh and Mr. Salamat Ravandi," the judge stated.

According to Watchuk, evidence did not prove there was a "partnership" between the two men.

"It was Mr. Salamat Ravandi who was in contact with the shipper and suppliers and who appeared to take control of the opium when it arrived," she said. "There is no evidence of financial transactions made by Mr. Henareh with regard to the opium."

Henareh was granted refugee status from Turkey after it was determined that he faced a risk of persecution in Iran. He's a permanent resident of Canada but not a citizen, according to the oral reasons for sentence.

"If he does have an immigration hearing, which would result in a removal order, he will revert to the status of a protected person and the danger opinion process–lasting one to seven years–will commence," Watchuk stated. "He may or may not be removed at the conclusion of the danger opinion process. At every step of the entire process, he has access to judicial review."