Two men charged with conspiracy to import 120 pounds of cannabis confessed their crimes to Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.

Former Dunkley's Dairy employees Michael Madeiros, 41, and Steven Flood, 39, as well as another man Maurice Stovell, 37, are accused of plotting to conceal the drugs in a dairy container shipped from Salem, New Jersey in October 2003.

Under questioning from Crown counsel Paula Tyndale, Mr. Dunkley claimed he had had two separate meetings with Flood and Madeiros at which they had both admitted their part in the scheme. However, defence lawyer Mark Pettingill argued Mr. Dunkley had prejudged their guilt by firing Flood before he was proven guilty and that had become overly-involved in the Police investigation because he did not want his company and family name dragged through the mud.

Mr. Pettingill also alleged that all three defendants had been beaten while in Police custody and revealed that a full investigation into the allegations had been sanctioned by Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dunkley recounted how he had gone to Flood's apartment at Belmer Drive in Devonshire ? a property owned and rented to employees by Dunkley's Dairy ? where Flood issued an emotional apology before allegedly spilling the beans.

"There was a great deal of conversation and I was at his house for around an hour and a half," Mr. Dunkley said.

"He told me his business Locomotion Graphics was having some cash problems because a big client had been very slow in paying him. He told me that his friend Michael Madeiros had heard of his cash crunch, and offered him a way of clearing it by helping to import a shipment of drugs. He told me he was initially hesitant, but after a bit of prodding, he gave into it."

Flood's part in the deal, Mr. Dunkley claimed he was told, was to order products from an "overseas supplier", to ensure the drugs would be placed in that shipment, and also that the boxes got in and out of the container and were transferred to Madeiros.

"He gave me further details that he was to be paid $55,000 for his part," he said.

"He also mentioned that an employee of his at Locomotion Graphics named Major (Stovell), would be paid $5,000 for his involvement. He explained that Major had been trying to leave the Island for some time and needed some cash with which he could tie up his affairs here."

Flood, said Mr. Dunkley, claimed he was the middleman of the operation and that he did not know who the shipment of drugs was being sent to.

"He also appeared very remorseful," Mr. Dunkley added.

"He was crying at times during our conversation and having to compose himself, particularly when he talked about letting down his family."

Mr. Dunkley told the court he also went to see Madeiros on Tuesday November 4, where he told him he wanted him and his family out of the Dunkley's Dairy property by the end of the month ? a request with which Madeiros readily complied.

The next day, Madeiros phoned him, Mr. Dunkley said, and requested a further meeting that afternoon.

"I went to his apartment and we had a reasonable length conversation of around 15 minutes," Mr. Dunkley said.

"First of all he said Mr. Flood was responsible for the importation, at which I just laughed. After seeing my reaction, he quickly changed his story and confessed he had brought in the drugs for an unknown individual."

But, Mr. Dunkley said, he had received an anonymous phone call a few days before where the name of the "unknown individual" was revealed.

"When I mentioned the nickname Bingy to him, Mr. Madeiros looked shocked and uncomfortable and asked me how I knew about that name.

He then admitted he had known this gentleman for some time and had got involved in this scheme through this gentleman." Bingy had asked Madeiros if he would like to get involved, Mr. Dunkley claims he was told, and after initially resisting these advances, he opened his jeep to find $5,000 in cash inside and a note from Bingy asking him to get in contact, "if he had a change of heart".

"Mr. Madeiros told me he then called Bingy and made the arrangements," he said.

"I also had a number of telephone conversations with Mr. Madeiros after our initial meeting, in which he was very upset and crying on the telephone and saying his life was ruined. To be honest, I was not that interested in talking to him at that stage."

In a rigorous and occasionally heated exchange with defence counsel Mark Pettingill, Mr. Dunkley denied the suggestion that he had prejudged the guilt of Flood and Madeiros and that he had launched his own investigation into the matter.

He further denied that he had told Madeiros that he would "speak to the right people" in order to help them and said that anybody testifying to that effect would be talking "absolute nonsense".

He admitted, however, that he fired Flood soon after he was charged and that he had kept in regular contact with the narcotics officers because the issue "was hanging over the company's head and I wanted to see it resolved" and that "justice was done".

Mr. Dunkley further conceded that Madeiros has shown him the bruising to his body allegedly inflicted in a beating by narcotics officers whilst in custody, although he said he was not convinced by the story and that Madeiros could have got the injuries "by falling over" for all he knew.

The trial continues today in front of Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves and is expected to last until early next week.