A British national was sentenced to 11 years in jail after he was found guilty of importing nearly half a million dollars worth of heroin into Bermuda.

Martin Cashman, 50, maintained his innocence yesterday even after the five man, seven woman jury unanimously found him guilty on both charges.

Cashman arrived in Bermuda on a British Airways flight on October 5 last year.

When Customs and Police searched his bag they discovered 16 laminated pictures which contained a brown substance later found to be 498.31 grams of heroin laced with diazepam, or Valium. The drugs had a street value of $484,200.

Throughout the proceedings Cashman maintained that a family friend ? Norman Fraser ? had given him the pictures to give to friends in Bermuda on the day he flew to the Island.

?I believed and trusted a friend and I was betrayed and I believed and trusted in the British justice system but now I feel betrayed,? Cashman said after hearing the jury?s decision.

Earlier in the proceedings during her closing arguments, Crown counsel Vinette Graham-Allen noted several discrepancies in Cashman?s story including the fact that he never asked Mr. Fraser for the name of the friend who he was supposed to give the package to.

?This man knows no one in Bermuda and he is coming to Bermuda for the Jazz Festival and he doesn?t know when it starts and someone is supposed to pick him up and he has no name, no address, no contact ? nothing,? Ms Graham-Allen said.

Cashman had earlier told the court that he had questioned his friend, Mr. Fraser, about the photographs and the envelope they were contained in.

?Why did he ask a friend of the family if he was going to get him in trouble. Is it that he had reason to suspect,? Ms Graham-Allen continued.

Defence lawyer Richard Hector pointed to Cashman?s cooperation with the Police ? including helping them to mount a sting operation. Although the operation was unsuccessful, Mr. Hector said in his closing arguments that two men in Bermuda had been arrested in connection with the case while Mr. Fraser had escaped the London jurisdiction.

Mr. Hector also noted that his client had never before been arrested or investigated for any criminal matters. Cashman, a licensed London taxi driver for more than 20 years, told the court during his defence that a taxi driver could not receive a renewed driver?s license with any criminal record.

During his summation, Assistant Justice Archibald Warner explained to the jury that good character can give a defendant credibility.

He added: ?The fact that he is of good character, is it less likely that he would commit the matter for which he had been charged? It doesn?t mean he didn?t commit what he has been charged with.?

He told the jury that it came down to believing beyond a reasonable doubt that Cashman had knowledge that he knew, suspected or had reason to suspect drugs were contained in the laminated photographs he was carrying.

Once the jury returned with a guilty verdict Ms Graham-Allen proceeded with sentencing citing that in similar cases the time spent in prison ranged from 12 to 18 years.

She noted the fact that the drug had been heroin and told the court that people who deal with hard, dangerous drugs should expect to be ?severely punished?.

Mr. Hector said at the ?earliest opportunity? Cashman had assisted the Police without them doubting him.

?I ask you to be as lenient as you can for all the circumstances in the case.?

Mr. Warner said he considered his character and age when deciding a sentence. But added: ?He has shown no remorse in that he has maintained his innocence.?

Taking into consideration the cooperation that Cashman had given, Mr. Warner discounted a median 15-year jail sentence by 25 percent.

Mr. Warner said time spent in custody would be taken into consideration.