Yangon - Prominent business tycoon Maung Weik - known to be close to the head of Myanmar's junta - was sentenced to 15 years in prison on drug trafficking charges in a Yangon court last week, legal sources said Monday.

Weik, 35, who owns Mg Weik and Family Company - one of the country's largest real estate and trading firms - was arrested last May during a charity trip to the Irrawaddy Delta to help victims of cyclone Nargis.

Weik is known to have close ties to Senior General Than Shwe, who heads Myanmar's ruling junta.

He was charged with involvement in trading methamphetamine tablets, called "ice" on the local market, with other six people including a Malaysian.

According to charges brought by the government in July, Weik had been buying ice tablets from Peter Too Huat Haw, a Malaysian, since 2003.

He consumed them himself and distributed them to others in his company at annual functions and birthday parties. His trial began on 10 June in a Yangon court.

Weik became a popular figure after donating 270 million kyat (about 40,000 dollars) to the Shwedagon Pagoda restoration work. (dpa)