A Police search that unearthed a $22,000 stash of marijuana shows why Bermuda must conduct cruise ship cabin searches in spite of public criticism, a Magistrate said yesterday.

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves said the arrest of Horizon cleaner Junior H. Packs for having 444.4 grams of cannabis in his cabin showed that large amounts of drugs came to the Island via cruise ships.

Defence lawyers and visitors have criticised the large number of passengers who have been fined $1,000 or more for small amounts of drugs found in cabin searches this summer.

“I'm aware of the debate over cruise ship drugs,” said Mr. Greaves. “Given that it is a known fact that a large portion of drugs which enter Bermuda come on cruise ships, it would be irresponsible for Police to not go on cruise ships to sniff them out.”

The court heard yesterday that Packs, a Honduran, would have received $1,000 for delivering the marijuana to a Bermuda drug dealer if the drugs had not been found on June 9.

Crown counsel Shakira Dill told the court that Police found a pair of shoes in a black plastic bag, the soles of which had cannabis inside. These were later presented to Packs in a Police interview where he identified them as belonging to him.

He was arrested under suspicion of importing cannabis.

Packs told Police he had been on a New York pier when a man he did not know approached him. His name was “Raz” and he promised that if Packs delivered the shoe package to Bermuda he would receive $1,000 from the Bermuda recipient he called “Princess”.

“Raz” gave Packs the contact phone number for “Princess”.

Ms Dill said that the Police then attempted a controlled delivery with Packs in a bid to arrest “Princess”.

Police called the number Packs was given for “Princess” and spoke with a woman who agreed to meet them at Crystal Caves in half an hour. When the delivery was made, Police arrested two new suspects at the scene.

Lawyer Lawrence Scott, representing Packs, said: “There are circumstances here that make it distinguishable.”

He said that although Ms Dill cited a case where the convicted person received a three-year jail sentence, the fact that Packs had readily assisted Police in catching a “big fish” should be considered by “us creatures of social concern”.

“Packs was a carrier,” Mr. Scott said. “He acted wholly naively. Although he appreciated and assisted fully in what he was doing, we must take the fact he has assisted Police and is prepared to give information.”

Scott asked Acting Senior Magistrate Judge Greaves for an 18 month sentence for the man whose wife and young daughter reside in Honduras.

Mr. Greaves sentenced Packs to two years in prison.