Mullings, who briefly headed this year's world lists for the 100m after clocking 9.80sec in June at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Oregeon, tested positive for the diuretic furosemide, which can act as a masking agent for other drugs, after placing third in the 100 metres at the Jamaican national trials in June.

He had previously served a two-year ban after testing positive for excessive levels of testosterone in 2004.

"We the panel believes that a clear and strong message must be sent to every athlete in Jamaica and elsewhere that prohibited substances will not be tolerated in sports," panel chairman Lennox Gayle said.

Mullings, 28, was expected to appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), his attorney said.

Alando Terrelonge said the decision was unfair based on the evidence presented to the three-member panel.

"There was no evidence before this panel to indicate that Mr. Mullings either deliberately took a drug to enhance his performance or to mask the presence of other drugs that he was taking to enhance his performance," Terrelonge said.

Mullings, a former relay world champion and the training partner of America's Tyson Gay, had been found guilty last Thursday (November 17) by the panel.

The sprinter, now based in the United States, did not attend the hearing.

Mullings is represented by John Regis, formerly one of Britain's top sprinters who also managed Dwain Chambers when he tested positive for a cocktail of banned drugs in 2003. 

Gayle said the decision to ban Mullings was unanimous.

"The fact that Mr Mullings, on several occasions we tried to get him here and he refused to attend, and we believe that we certainly should impose the maximum in this particular case," Gayle said.

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