A Beechworth prisoner who escaped from the jail was serving a lengthy term for commercial drug trafficking and possessing multiple firearms.
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Simon Keith Poole gave himself up to police about 9am on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after escaping Beechworth jail.
The 47-year-old was caught only a few kilometres from the prison after leaving between 12.30pm and 4.15pm on Tuesday.
The alarm was raised when his absence was discovered, leading to a police search and appeal for information.
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After being taken back into custody, he was charged with escaping the jail and faced the Wodonga Magistrates Court.
The 47-year-old received a six-month term.
The Beechworth Correctional Centre is a minimum security prison, housing inmates serving shorter sentences or those coming to the end of longer sentences and preparing to return to society.
Escapees are generally put into higher security prisons.
Poole was in custody following his arrest on August 3, 2019.
He was less than halfway through the minimum term handed down last year of four-and-a-half years.
He received a maximum jail term of seven years on a string of serious charges.
Police had been investigating drug supply in the Wonthaggi region earlier in 2019, and set up an operation with covert phone intercepts.
Poole, who had only just been released from jail for marijuana supply matters, was quickly linked to trafficking 1,4 butanediol and guns through the phone taps.
He had linked up with two co-accused men.
Poole was involved in stripping a large amount of stolen copper wire worth thousands of dollars in June 2019.
His home was raided on August 3 of that year, leading to him running and jumping a rear fence to avoid police.
He was taken into custody and a search found two .22 calibre handguns, four imitation handguns, a 12-gauge shotgun with a sawn-off barrel, and various packages containing ammunition.
Poole later told police he was "minding 'em for someone".
The substance is similar to GHB.
A toiletry bag contained nine grams of ice, three grams of MDMA, 2.2 grams of heroin, 0.1 grams of cocaine, and various other substances.
A search of his phone also showed he had been trying to sell a stolen Mercedes Benz to a Berwick car dealership for $30,000.
Police thanked the public for their help in the Beechworth matter.
