A Pembroke man who was sentenced to probation for drug importation was jailed on Monday in the wake of a series of breaches.

Terique Smith, 21, pleaded guilty last year to charges that he importing 565.8 grammes of Delta-9 THC in an incident on March 20, 2022 and possessing the drug with intent to supply.

On that day, a police dog alerted officials to Smith’s checked luggage after he arrived on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina.

His luggage was inspected and a square item wrapped in carbon paper was discovered hidden inside a “Better Home and Gardens” branded package. A further search revealed a second concealed item hidden inside a similarly branded package.

Both packages were found to contain a brown substance, later confirmed to be Delta-9 THC.

Smith pleaded guilty to the charges and, on August 29, 2025, he was fined $4,000 and sentenced to 18 months of probation.

However, Magistrates’ Court heard that he continued to test positive for cannabis use and failed to report to Hamilton Police Station on four separate occasions in breach of his probation requirements.

The court heard that Smith had told his probation officer that he had missed the meetings because of transportation challenges and problems at home.

However, during the hearing he said that he also had concerns about his safety in Hamilton which he had not previously raised.

Audley Quallo, for the Crown, said that the drugs seized in the case could be sold for as much as $84,870 if sold on the streets of Bermuda, and that both the quantity of the drugs and how the material was concealed demonstrated that it was not for personal use.

He added that Smith had been given opportunities to have a non-custodial sentence, but had failed to comply with his probation requirements.

Smith apologised for missing his meetings, stating that if he was given another chance he would not make the same mistakes in the future.

He also apologised for not sharing all of his concerns with his probation officer, stating: “I didn’t open up. I didn’t know what to do with the situation.”

Senior magistrate Maxanne Anderson said the court had been extremely lenient in Smith’s sentencing to make sure he had a second chance, but Smith was no longer suitable for community supervision.

In all the circumstances, the magistrate revoked Smith’s probation and sentenced him to 18 months behind bars.

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