of million dollars worth of cannabis was imported last year, a Supreme Court jury yesterday heard.

The courier service's computer system crashed on February 15 last year, leaving it with no record of two word processors that were sent to Bermuda from New York via Federal Express with $291,000 worth of cannabis in them.

The drugs were allegedly imported by former Federal Express courier Curtis Ambrose Simmons.

Yesterday Federal Express supervisor Gavin Kennedy testified that there was no way of knowing which overseas Federal Express office sent the package containing the word processors.

And he said there was no way that Hamilton staff could have known what packages would have been coming on February 15, last year.

Simmons, 29, of Spicewood Drive, Warwick, denies importing the cannabis, possessing it with intent to supply, and handling it with intent to supply.

The four-men, eight-woman jury heard that after the drugs were found at the Airport, Police followed Simmons -- who had picked up the word processors and other packages -- back to Federal Express' Hamilton office.

He was kept under surveillance until he left the office to make deliveries.

Narcotics officers, who lost track of Simmons several times, arrested him shortly after 7 p.m. that day on Middle Road, Warwick.

Det. Con. Richard Clarke yesterday testified that when Simmons was stopped he said: "Look, if any of these packages have drugs, I don't know anything about it''.

But one of Simmons' lawyers, Mr. John Perry QC, suggested that Police first told Simmons they were narcotics officers and that he was being arrested for possession of a controlled drug.

Mr. Perry also accused Police of depriving Simmons of his constitutional right to receive a document outlining his rights, including having access to a phone call and lawyer.

He questioned why it took Police 20 to 25 minutes to hand Simmons over to the jailer who was responsible for giving Simmons the rights document.

Det. Con. Clarke said there was a large sign outlining suspects' rights in the jail area of the Hamilton Police Station where Simmons was taken.

"Because Mr. Simmons had to wait 20 minutes does not mean that he was deprived of knowing his rights,'' he said.

The trial continues.

The Royal Gazette yesterday incorrectly reported that there was evidence about a recorded conversation between Simmons and his girlfriend.