A court in Australia has sentenced a former Playboy model to imprisonment of up to six years for her participation in a drug smuggling ring that sneaked cocaine to Sydney.

California-born Brandi Brandt, who was once married to Motley Crue bassist NIkki Sixx,

pleaded guilty in April to a charge of conspiring to import cocaine between July and

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December 2007.

Prosecutors said Brandt was part of a drug syndicate that brought cocaine to Australia from California by hiding the drugs in packages and toilets on United Airlines and Qantas Airlines.

Airline catering employees connived with the drug ring by collecting the packages immediately after the planes landed.

The 45-year-old, who has a long history of struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle at least 2 kilograms of cocaine and transferring up to USD70,000 related to the operation into bank accounts.

Brandt was extradited from the US to Sydney in 2013.

District Court Judge Peter Zahra, however, said that the former Playboy model's role in the drug ring was "substantially lower" than others involved.

Zahra said he could not be satisfied that she ever touched the drug packages or was aware of the quantities involved.

Defence attorney Phillip Boulten pleaded for leniency, acknowledging that Brandt had made some poor decisions, but arguing she'd had a hard life with a dysfunctional upbringing.

Judge Zahra said Brandt had good prospects of rehabilitation and was unlikely to reoffend. She will be eligible for parole in 2016.

TagsBrandi Brandt, Playboy Model, Cocaine Smuggling