Machiel Kuijt, the Dutchman sentenced to life imprisonment for drug smuggling in Thailand, was sent back to the Netherlands on Friday after serving nearly 10 years in jail.

Kuijt was originally found not guilty but given a life sentence on appeal. The case rested on his ex-girlfriend who was arrested in possession of half a kilo of heroin. Kuijt’s release falls under a new treaty on prisoner exchange signed by the Dutch and Thai governments in 2005.