A money-laundering suspect’s DNA was found on some of the material used to wrap bundles of cash that Police intercepted at the airport, a court heard.

Kenith Bulford is accused of possessing nearly $315,000 in criminal proceeds that was recovered from the luggage of two women as they tried to leave Bermuda on March 5, 2013.

He is also accused of possessing a further $10,000 in “dirty money” that was found in his jacket pocket and his luggage.

The court has heard that the cash, which was found in the soles of new Nike sneakers in the women’s luggage, had been wrapped in white tape before being hidden in the shoes. The wrappings were later swabbed for DNA by an expert in Bermuda before being sent to a Florida forensic testing laboratory.

Yesterday, Candy Zuleger from Trinity DNA Solutions in Florida, told the jury that one of the swabs taken from a wrapping was a match to Mr Bulford.

“The DNA mixture was from three people,” she said.

“I could determine the major donor and that matched Kenith Bulford.

“That was a match of 1 in 1.96 billion in the white Bermuda population and 1 in 2.3 billion in the black population.”

She also said that Mr Bulford’s DNA was a possible contributor to six other DNA mixtures found on swabs taken from wrappings around the money. Asked by prosecutor Victoria Greening what kind of contact could have caused the “match” Ms Zuleger replied: “There must have been primary transfer, physically touching the item, for there to be that much DNA to be able to be a major donor.”

Ms Zuleger told the court that there was no trace of Mr Bulford’s DNA on a swab taken from inside a shoe and one taken from a wrapping.

She also acknowledged that some of the DNA mixtures where Mr Bulford could possibly have been a contributor were of a “lower statistical standard” such as 1 in 400 or 1 in 500.

The court has heard that Mr Bulford and the two women were arrested at LF Wade International airport before they could board the BA flight for London. Yesterday jurors were shown the eight pairs of white, black, brown and plum coloured Nike sneakers used to try and smuggle the $315,000 in cash out of Bermuda.

Detective Constable Damon Hollis told the Supreme Court that there were three wrapped bundles of US currency hidden in the sole of each shoe. He said that most shoes contained a total of $20,000 in cash, although two contained slightly less.

“The grand total of all the money in the shoes was $314,950,” he added.

Mr Bulford denies two counts of possessing criminal proceeds.

The case continues.

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