A Jamaican accused of importing more than $230,000 of cocaine told a court yesterday he was duped by a Bermuda resident at Montego Bay airport. Lincoln George Brown, from Rock Valley, Warwick, who has lived in Bermuda for more than 20 years has pleaded not guilty to charges of importing 939.81 grams of cocaine and possession of drugs with the intent to supply.

He was arrested on April 5, 2003, at Bermuda International Airport for allegedly importing cocaine with a street value of around $234,960 which was duct-taped in plastic bags inside the pockets of several pairs of jeans. Brown said he was returning alone after visiting his homeland to see family when he was approached by a Bermuda resident called Barney, who earlier in the trial was named by a Policeman as Kent Wilson. Brown said Barney was someone he would greet in the street.

He said Barney called out ?Hey, Yardie? and explained his girlfriend was overloaded with stuff and so he asked if Brown would take some clothes in his bag on the charter flight.

Asked by his lawyer Shade Subair why he brought the clothes for Barney, Brown said: ?I thought he was cool, alright.?

Brown said a young man then brought a black plastic bag from a waiting jeep about 20 feet away and seven or eight pairs of jeans were loaded into his suitcase on top of his other clothes.

But on arrival in Bermuda he was approached by a drug sniffing dog and narcotics officer.

The bag was then searched by Detective Sergeant Damon Hollis and Brown also had his fingerprints taken and was subjected to a strip search.

After concluding his testimony Brown, a 37-year-old construction worker, addressed the jury and said cocaine was a bad drug which caused a lot of problems in Bermuda with ?people getting AIDS? and people having their homes broken into.

He said: ?I have a good life in Bermuda, I love this country and would not poison anybody.?

Earlier in the day investigating officer Det. Sgt. Hollis told of how he had challenged Brown about the bag, who was nervous and anxious, but Brown had said he was aware of all the contents, had packed the bag himself and all the contents were his. Det. Sgt. Hollis had then searched the bag and found the jeans, packed at the bottom of the bag, to be heavy. It was then the cocaine was found in clear plastic bags duct taped inside pockets.

When shown the drugs he said Brown had said ?Oh, man, I cannot believe this.

?I cannot believe I was so stupid.? He then told Police Barney had given him the drugs and was still in Jamaica.

Ms Subair grilled Det. Con. Hollis on why he did not follow leads about Barney.

Det. Sgt. Hollis said Barney (Mr. Wilson) was interviewed but ?nothing off evidential value was found?. Ms Subair asked him if he took fingerprints from the packages. Det. Sgt. Hollis initially said he ?could not speak to that? but when pressed he explained that fingerprints experts were given the packages but ?nothing of evidential value was garnered?. Ms Subair said it suggested the fingerprints were not related to the defendant.

Det. Sgt. Brown denied fingerprint evidence was ?crucial? but said it could be substantive to a case. Ms Subair said as the investigating officer Det. Sgt. Hollis should have checked the fingerprints to see if Barney?s prints were on them.

But the officer said he did not deal with fingerprints and he was not sure the Barney who Brown had referred to was Kent Wilson. However he admitted Wilson was in Jamaica at the same time as Brown and had arrived home two days later.

The officer confirmed that Mr. Wilson had been carrying clear plastic bags and that Police notes said it was suspected the same bags were used in packaging the drugs.

Det. Sgt. Brown said he did not get phone records to check on any conversations between Brown and Mr. Wilson because he still wasn?t sure if Mr. Wilson was the Barney in question.

To which Ms Subair said that phone records might have helped establish that.