A woman accused of a plot to smuggle cannabis into Bermuda told customs officers that a friend had packed a suitcase found to contain 29 packages of the drug.

Sandra Marrero-Guzman, 37, has denied conspiring to bring cannabis into Bermuda and possessing cannabis with intent to supply on June 20 last year.

Adley Duncan, for the Crown, said the drugs were discovered in Ms Marrero-Guzman’s suitcase after she flew to the island from Toronto.

He added that while Ms Marrero-Guzman said she was supposed to stay at Sandpiper Guest Apartments in Warwick, the property had no reservation under her name and a forensic examination of her phone revealed evidence linking her to the drug plot.

Ryan Marshall, a customs officer, told the court that on the afternoon of June 20, 2025, he saw the defendant in the baggage area of the airport in a white dress.

He said that she appeared to be very “focused”, going straight to her bag and towards the exit, which he thought was unusual.

Mr Marshall said: “Usually the majority of first-time visitors coming to Bermuda they come in, look around, check their phones. This lady was moving to get out more quickly than usual.”

He said he asked for the woman in the white dress to be sent to him for a secondary inspection. He X-rayed her checked luggage, a black hard-shell suitcase, and noticed “anomalies” inside.

He said he spoke with the defendant, who told him that it was her first trip to Bermuda and she was scheduled to stay at the Sandpiper Guest Apartments for seven days.

Asked if she had packed her own bags, Ms Marrero-Guzman pointed toward her carry-on and said that she had packed it.

She then indicated towarsd the suitcase and said: “My friend packed this about a week ago.”

Mr Marshall said that he cut a combination lock off the suitcase after the defendant said she could not open it. He immediately noticed large, heat-sealed packages containing plant material.

He continued to question Ms Marrero-Guzman and asked her if she could prove her booking with Sandpiper, the court heard.

She responded that she was supposed to meet a man who had made the booking for her.

Asked if she knew the name of the man, she responded: “Everyone calls him Joe.”

Mr Marshall said that later that day, while Ms Marrero-Guzman was with police, he gave her a customs declaration form to fill out and noticed that she had indicated in the form that she was bringing in items that did not belong to her on behalf of someone else.

He said he asked her what she was bringing in and she indicated towards the suitcase and said: “That.”

Under cross-examination by Susan Mulligan, for Ms Marrero-Guzman, Mr Marshall denied a suggestion that he would have said her behaviour was suspicious if she had looked around the baggage area when she arrived.

He also said he did not recall the defendant giving him a travel declaration in which she had mistakenly given her Toronto address rather than her Bermuda address. But he agreed that if he had seen such an error he would have asked her to correct it.

Another customs officer, Clynae Burrows, said that nothing of note was found in a personal search of Ms Marrero-Guzman. She had a debit card and $2,320 in Canadian cash.

While Mr Marshall told the court that the defendant was wearing a white dress, Ms Burrows said her notes indicated that she was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

She agreed that Ms Marrero-Guzman was quiet and co-operative and added that the defendant appeared “nonchalant”.

Detective Constable Dawn Hector told the court that she was among several police officers to attend LF Wade International Airport after the contraband was discovered.

She told the court that when questioned by officers, Ms Marrero-Guzman said the suitcase had been given to her at the airport in Toronto and she did not even notice that it was locked until she was asked to unlock it.

Ms Hector testified that the defendant said she was handed the suitcase by someone she described as dark and slim. She told the officer: “I literally got out of the car, took the bag and checked in.”

She also told officers that a friend had helped her pay for the ticket to the island.

Ms Hector was present when the packages found in the suitcase were opened. She said that the two heat-sealed packages contained 29 smaller packages of plant material, as well as three hand towels and a pair of jeans.

The trial continues.

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