Phillip Halliday's family and friends are celebrating after receiving news that he has been released from a Spanish prison and will soon be back in his hometown of Digby, N.S.

The 56-year-old fisherman had been detained in Spain since December 2009 after authorities found drugs hidden in the hull of a decommissioned coast guard ship he was working on.

The entire crew was arrested but Halliday has always maintained he didn’t know anything about the drugs.

Yesterday, he was ordered  released from prison and plans are in the works to welcome him home.

Halliday’s son Cody is dealing with all sorts of emotions after hearing the news. He will see his dad for the first time in over three years on Sunday.

“Relieved for one, massive flood of emotions,” he says. “I’ll try not to cry, give him a hug, just be there for him. I mean, it’s going to be a real emotional time.”

Friends of the family are also anxious to see Halliday arrive home safely.

“I was just ecstatic. I think the whole town is going to be just in an uproar,” says Teri Faessler.

According to friends, Halliday went out for pizza and beer in Madrid after his release, ordering from an English menu.

“He called Sheree to tell Sheree how good it was and how great it was and said he thought that he might go for a walk,” says Joanne Dunn.

Since his arrest, people from Halliday’s hometown have held benefits and yard sales, created a Facebook page, and even started a letter-writing campaign to show their support and help the Hallidays with mounting legal fees.

“It’s not just Digby itself. It’s been sometimes Canada-wide that have gotten in touch with her or have donated and there’s been people who have actually given so much a month,” says Dunn. “The support has been just phenomenal.”

“You really get a sense of your fellow mankind when you see things and people pull together and they don’t just, they’re not just around for awhile,” says Faessler. “They’re here through the long-term, like, from the start to finish.”

Signs are already popping up around town, to welcome Halliday back to Canada and to ensure he feels the community’s support.

“We haven’t celebrated Christmas in three years, it’s like three Christmases all at once,” says Cody. “It’s pretty awesome.”

After Halliday arrives back in Canada, he says they will appeal his dad’s guilty verdict and work to clear his name.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster