A jury will decide the fate today of a couple charged with importing $12 million worth of cannabis inside tins of juice.

Yesterday in Supreme Court, Crown counsel Mr. Brian Calhoun and defence lawyer Mr. Archie Warner gave their closing arguments and Puisne Judge the Hon. Mr.

Justice Ground began his summary of the trial.

The Tuzos, of Boundary Lane, St. George's, both deny importation and possession of $12 million worth of cannabis with intent to supply on March 22 last year. And when Police and Customs searched their house they found more than $40,000 in US bills in the ceiling.

The 500 pounds of drugs were found by a Customs officer who X-rayed cans of juice imported by Orion Tuzo inside boxes addressed to Astwood Dickinson. All the other paperwork was in the name of Karen Tuzo.

Mr. Calhoun told the jury to use their common sense and intelligence when they looked at the evidence and said it was of "absolute importance'' that they looked at all the evidence together, not just "one piece at a time''.

He said if they looked at the pieces of evidence together then they pointed to Orion Tuzo just like "the spokes of a wheel'' with Tuzo being the hub.

He said if you took away its spokes, the wheel would crumble which is why you need them all there, just as you need all the pieces of evidence there when you looked at this case.

Mr. Archie Warner said there were a lot of rhetoric, suppositions, speculation and accusations in the case and reminded the jury to look at the evidence only.

This evidence, he added, was what they had heard from the witness box and the visual evidence they had seen. He also encouraged the jury to look at the pieces of evidence individually and keep in mind that Orion Tuzo never denied that he was importing "stuff''.

He said the jurors must be convinced that the prosecution proved "beyond reasonable doubt'' that the Tuzos were guilty especially when it came to the matter of whether or not they knew there were drugs in the shipment.

Mr. Warner also reminded the jurors that they must look at the evidence separately in relation to each offence and to each defendant.

Mr. Justice Ground began his summary yesterday afternoon and was due to conclude it this morning.

He explained to the jurors that the prosecution had to make them sure the Tuzos were guilty while the defence had to prove it was more probable than not that they were innocent.