Police made threats to lock up a defendant's wife during an interview over the alleged illegal importation of cannabis worth $12 million, a court was told yesterday.

Mr. Archie Warner, defending Orion and Karen Tuzo, alleged in the Supreme Court yesterday that while officers were interviewing Orion Tuzo on the day of his arrest they threatened to lock up his wife.

Orion and Karen Tuzo, of Boundary Lane, St. George's, both deny importation and possession of cannabis, valued at $12 million, with intent to supply on March 22, last year.

The court has already heard that the cannabis was found inside 603 tins of a shipment of more than 1,400 tins of fruit juice and syrup.

Documents were made out in the name of Karen Tuzo and the shipment was address to jewellers, Astwood Dickinson, raising the suspicions of Customs officers who impounded the crates.

Yesterday, Mr. Warner cross-examined acting Sergeant Sean Field-Lament, one of the investigating officers when the cannabis was seized.

He alleged in court that when the Sergeant and another officer were interviewing Orion Tuzo in St. George's Police Station, they threatened to lock up his wife, who was at home looking after the couple's two teenaged children.

Sergeant Field-Lament flatly denied the accusation saying: "It is complete nonsense. It is not the way I conduct an interview or an investigation.'' The court also heard yesterday that handwriting on the airline bill for the crates holding the juice were tested to see if they matched Orion Tuzo's writing, but that Sergeant Field-Lament had not been involved in that part of the investigation. "I do not know if it matched,'' he said.

Mr. Warner added that Orion Tuzo repeatedly stated in interviews that "they had sent the wrong stuff'' and he added: "In no interview does Tuzo admit that he knew contraband was in the shipment.'' Sergeant Field-Lament answered `yes'.

The trial continues on Monday before Puisne Judge, the Hon. Mr. Justice Ground.