bag that was later found to contain two bags of heroin worth more than $50,000, a Supreme Court jury heard yesterday.

But when the undercover officers approached him, he walked back to his jeep and threw the brown bag inside it.

Det. Sgt. Steven Lightbourne, one of the senior Police officers investigating the alleged drug dealer, testified on the first day of Wilson's trial.

Wilson, of Mount Hill, Pembroke, has denied possessing heroin with intent to supply on February 21, 1996, handling the drug with intent to supply and simple possession.

The trial got underway yesterday after being delayed when it was revealed that one of the investigating officers claimed she had been pressured by fellow detectives into committing perjury.

A Police investigation into the allegations by the officer found there was insufficient evidence to press charges.

Lawyers for Wilson argued for a stay of proceedings on Monday, but yesterday Puisne Judge Norma Wade ruled that the trial would commence, although she agreed that there were issues that raised doubt because of the way the Police had conducted their investigation.

The absence of the officer's notes was critical, she pointed out, but in itself was not enough to support the allegation that there had been an abuse of power.

Consequently, Mrs. Justice Wade said Wilson's trial would go on because there were enough judicial controls within the court system to ensure that he received a fair hearing.

Det. Sgt. Lightbourne told the jury that two separate plastic bags of white powder were found inside a bottle that was contained inside the brown paper bag Wilson allegedly held in his right hand when Police spotted him.

One of the plastic bags had 26.7 grams of 30 percent pure heroin worth $18,204 on the street, while the other weighted 53.9 grams and was 29 percent pure. It was worth $35,500. Together the seized heroin was worth $53,704 if sold in $25 decks weighing about 11 milligrams each.

Det. Sgt. Lightbourne said he was driving a van south on Cook's Hill Road in Sandys Parish. There were three other officers with him in that vehicle and they were following a private car that another officer was driving.

Together he said they were going to a home in Sandys to execute a search warrant. Det. Con. Shane DeMille spotted Wilson, he said, who was walking toward them carrying a brown bag in his right hand.

Det. Sgt. Lightbourne said Wilson "stopped and appeared hesitant'' and walked back to his vehicle. Det. Con. DeMille drove his car to the driver's side of Wilson's jeep.

Soon after, Det. Sgt. Lightbourne said he drove the van to the front of the jeep and stopped.

"I jumped out of the vehicle...and ran to the front passenger side where I saw Wilson open the door on the driver's side and throw a brown paper bag into the vehicle.

"I watched the bag hit the driver's seat, bounce off and hit the floor and come to rest under the steering wheel.'' Inside the bag, Police found a white container that contained two plastic bags of white powder.

Bag `contained heroin' Sgt. Lightbourne said that this was shown to Wilson and two other people who were seated in the jeep.

Under cross examination from Wilson's lawyer, John Perry QC, Det. Sgt.

Lightbourne admitted it was important to secure the drugs in a safe after they were seized.

But he said he did not record this in his statement. Moreover Det. Sgt.

Lightbourne, a veteran of 15 years of which seven were spent in Narcotics, said he did not sign the drugs package until the next day.

When pressed, he agreed that it was important to sign the seized package and secure it to protect the continuity of the evidence.

But he did not do so immediately because he did not have the time.

He said there were two drugs investigations going on at the same time and he was busy.

"How long would it have taken you to place your initials on the package,'' Mr. Perry asked Det. Sgt. Lightbourne.

"About one and a half seconds,'' he replied.

Meanwhile, Mr. Perry suggested that the real reason that Det. Sgt. Lightbourne was unable to sign his name to the package was that no drugs were seized in the first place, but Det. Sgt. Lightbourne rejected that suggestion.

The case continues this morning before Mrs. Justice Wade. Attorney General Elliott Mottley and Wilhelm Bourne appear for the Crown while Mr. Perry, Tim Marshall and Kim Wilson appear for the accused.

Ellsworth Wilson