after a Supreme Court jury yesterday found him guilty of importing and possessing with intent to supply nearly $155,600 worth of cocaine.

Forty-two-year-old Vincent Oneal Douglas -- head bowed and eyes downcast -- appeared stunned by the verdict but maintained his composure as Puisne Judge Richard Ground sentenced him to 12 years on each count.

When asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, Douglas only lowered his head and remained silent; at the back of the Courtroom supporters broke into tears and quietly embraced.

The 11-woman, one-man jury deliberated for over two hours before returning their unanimous verdict and drawing to a dramatic close Douglas' 12-day trial: "The jury was driven to conclude, as indeed I was, that you were a driving force behind this endeavour,'' Mr. Justice Ground told Douglas.

"And you must be made aware that the community is sick of drugs and sick of what it's doing to Bermuda's youth.'' Douglas was charged together with Janice Dayle-Smith on January 29, 1995, with importing nearly half a kilogram of cocaine intended for supply. She was found with the drugs at the International Airport after returning from a trip to New York City.

The cocaine was discovered during a routine Customs check, wrapped into 35 pellets and hidden inside four bottles of hair products. Dayle-Smith -- who helped Police with the controlled delivery that eventually netted Douglas -- told narcotics officers a Colombian man named Roberto had given her the package as a gift for Douglas.

Dayle-Smith pleaded guilty to the two-count indictment in early June and testified for the Crown against Douglas, telling the jury that he had bought her the airline ticket to New York and given her $10,000 to deliver to Roberto.

A single mother of six who has been diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Dayle-Smith was sentenced to seven years in prison by Chief Justice Austin Ward.

"The results show that the jury had confidence in the Narcotics department, even in light of the current climate,'' Crown Counsel Khamisi Tokunbo yesterday told The Royal Gazette , a passing reference to the recent Ellsworth Wilson trial which ended abruptly when Puisne Judge Norma Wade accused Police of "reprehensible conduct'' in their handling of evidence.

Throughout Douglas's trial defence counsel Archie Warner had attempted to cast similar shadows over Police handling of evidence and he levelled charges of brutality against the Narcotics officers who arrested the defendant on the evening of January 29 at his Plumber's Lane home.

Noting he had expressed no remorse for his actions and had pleaded not guilty to the charges, Mr. Tokunbo argued Douglas offered nothing to mitigate against his crime and urged Mr. Justice Ground to pass a sentence between 12 to 14 years.

"The jury has spoken and returned verdicts of guilty on both counts,'' said a "disappointed'' Mr. Warner.

He urged the Court to bear in mind his client acted together with Dayle-Smith and -- while conceding Douglas was not entitled to the same sentencing discount as Dayle-Smith -- called for some "parity'' in the sentence, perhaps a term of eight to ten years.

Douglas, who is married and has a 15-year-old daughter, will serve both sentences concurrently.