A man charged with smuggling drugs into Bermuda denied any knowledge of a drug plot, stating that he had come to the island to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday.

Alexta Gill also told the Supreme Court that he had received no legal advice before taking part in police interviews, and that no one had advised him that he did not need to answer questions.

“Mentally, my mind was all over the place because I didn’t know what to expect, the purpose of the interviews,” he said.

“I was scared because I didn’t know what would become of me after the interviews.”

Mr Gill, a 31-year-old Guyanese national, has denied charges that he imported cannabis and cocaine into the island on March 4, 2023.

The court heard that he arrived on the island with Jhordan George-Horsford on a flight from Toronto on March 2, but one of their suitcases missed the flight and arrived two days later.

A search of the bag revealed six “bricks” of plant material later confirmed to be 9,472.6 grams of cannabis, and a bottle of whiskey, which was found to contain liquid cocaine, from which 812.4g of the controlled drug was extracted.

Mr Gill was arrested and, during a police interview, said that he had agreed to bring a suitcase to the island for someone named “Andre” to clear a debt after receiving death threats.

As the trial continued yesterday, Mr Gill gave the court a different version of events, stating that he had travelled to Bermuda with Ms George-Horsford to celebrate her birthday.

The jury heard that he had given her $1,500 and she had made the arrangements.

He said they had bought two black suitcases that February and, on the morning of their flight, she came to his home.

They packed their bags and travelled to the airport with both suitcases and two duffel bags.

Mr Gill said they had some difficulty checking in because their last names had been misspelt on the booking information, and one of the suitcases was overweight.

When they arrived in Bermuda, he said they found one of the suitcases had not made their flight, so they filled out a lost luggage form and continued out of the airport.

Mr Gill said they put their bags in the back of a taxi, but upon hearing that they were travelling to the Fourways Restaurant and Inn, the driver said he did not want to drive that far.

They were then approached by a man who offered to give them a ride.

He said that the man drove them to the hotel, stopping along the way for food at Ice Queen in Paget, and exchanged $300 Canadian to $200 in Bermudian currency for them.

Mr Gill said that as he attempted to carry the remaining suitcase towards the hotel, it became caught on a railing and tore open.

The man who had driven them came to his aid and offered to give him an old suitcase that he had at home.

Mr Gill said the driver left, returning 20 minutes later with a blue suitcase. He then took the damaged black suitcase to dispose of it.

Mr Gill also said that there was a problem with the hotel booking, so the couple left the blue suitcase at the hotel, walked to Middle Road and asked a passer-by where they could buy cannabis.

The man directed them to Warwick Workmen’s Club, where, Mr Gill said, they bought cannabis from a man outside for $200. He said the man also provided them with a grinder, scissors and a tray to prepare the cannabis.

Mr Gill said the couple had a few drinks at the club before taking a taxi to a beach where they swam, drank, smoked and fell asleep.

He said that at noon the following day he and Ms George-Horsford took a taxi from the beach to D&C Grill in Flatts on the advice of the taxi driver.

They bought toiletries at a nearby bulk store and went back to the Four Ways, where they were able to check in.

Mr Gill said that over the next two days the couple enjoyed the island, drinking on Front Street and at Harrington Workmen’s Club.

On the evening of March 5, he said, the couple had returned to the bulk store in Devil’s Hole to purchase supplies and went back to their hotel, where they were approached by two men.

Mr Gill said that, when asked for his name, he responded with his nickname because the man had not yet identified himself as a police officer.

“I didn’t know who he was,” he said. “I’m in a foreign country.”

He told the court that while in custody at Hamilton Police Station, he was given a list of defence lawyers to choose to represent him and picked Susan Moore-Williams.

However, he was subsequently informed that the officers could not reach her.

He was told that there was an acting duty counsel for the day, Bruce Swan, with whom he could speak ahead of his police interview, to which Mr Gill agreed.

Mr Gill said he sat down with Mr Swan and told the lawyer what he was charged with, but claimed that he did not receive any guidance about the interview.

He said that while he was cautioned during his initial interview, he did not understand what police meant when they said that the interview could be “submitted into evidence” or that he could answer “no comment”.

Mr Gill said that while he paused in the first interview to speak with Mr Swan, he had only asked what was meant by “controlled substances”.

He added that while speaking with Mr Swan, he could hear the police officers talking outside the room, although he could not hear exactly what they were saying.

The trial continues.

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