import more than 5,600 grammes of cannabis with a street value of $281,000.

Three people, all workers for Bermuda Aviation Services at the airport, have already been sentenced in connection with the drugs, which were seized soon after entering the country in January of last year.

But the Supreme Court heard yesterday how Andrew Fox, 30, had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to import, possession and importation of the cannabis.

However, in a Police statement he had admitted to officers that he was aware of a package of drugs arriving, and had even arranged, on behalf of somebody else, for them to be held at the airport by the BAS workers.

The court heard how a Police officer and sniffer dog discovered the three packages of plant material at the airport on January 9 last year.

They were contained in a false bottom of a cardboard box, which also included locks and door knobs, and had arrived on the Island via a flight from New York.

It was alleged to be addressed to Ward's Locksmith Service in Hamilton and a label on the box said it had been sent by a locksmith in New York.

However, the court heard yesterday from locksmith Norman Ward that he had not ordered any supplies from his counterpart in New York, nor had his sole employee.

The court heard how the plan was for the box to be intercepted by the three workers at the airport, and the drugs removed and transported into Bermuda.

But that plan never came to fruition because Police narcotics and Customs officers got there first.

The box was removed and the plant material given to Government analyst Christine Quigley, who identified the substance as marijuana.

Woman Detective Constable Hataya Desilva told the court that after the drugs were checked, a small "dummy package'' was prepared using a minute amount of the seized drugs and then placed inside the cardboard box.

The bulk of the seized drugs remained with Ms Quigley.

The box was then placed back in the freight shed at the airport, and a surveillance team was put in place to watch out for whoever collected the box, or removed the drugs.

On January 17, Victor Arthur Bean, 38, of Aerial View Road, Devonshire, Antowyn Robert Bennett, 32, of Mount Road, St. George's, and Kenneth Maurice Smith, 48, of Slip Road, St. George's, were found by Police to be involved with the drugs.

They each pleaded guilty to their charges, and were dealt with by the court this week.

But truck driver Fox, of Vaucrosson's Crescent, Pembroke, maintained his not guilty plea.

The court heard yesterday that soon after the three airport workers were arrested, narcotics officers went looking for Fox.

When Fox heard the officers were looking for him, he went to the officers at the narcotis' section of the Police.

Det. Con. Damon Hollis said he interviewed Fox and took a statement, before taking a second question-and-answer statement.

The detective said Fox had declined a lawyer, and had agreed to give a statement.

Det. Con. Hollis said Fox was not put under any force or pressure to give a statement, and was offered no "inducements, tricks or promises'' in return.

The detective read the statements into court, in which Fox said he had been approached by a man who said he wanted to bring a package containing drugs into the country.

It said that Fox had told the man, who cannot be named, that he would have to approach Smith at the airport first.

Fox, who regularly had to collect and transport parcels from and to the airport as part of his job, said he approached Smith and told him about the package containing marijuana.

In his statement, Fox said he told both Smith and Bennett that it was marijuana that was coming into the country. They agreed that when the package arrived it could be kept in the shed at the airport.

The plan was for the bundles of drugs to be removed from the box and then transported out of the airport by Fox.

And Fox told the officers that in return for their efforts, Fox, Smith, Bennett and Bean were to be paid in varying amounts of between $5,000 and $10,000 for their efforts.

However, the plan was foiled when the drugs were seized and the box put under surveillance before the men had time to remove them.

Fox denies the charges and said that when he returned to the airport, he merely collected a works package as part of his job and then left again.