A 27-year-old man pleaded not guilty in Supreme Court yesterday to possession of cannabis found in the backrest of a student chair.

Senior Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney told the court that Shane Minors, of King Street, Pembroke, was charged with possession of cannabis with intent supply.

In his opening statement, Mr. Mahoney told the court that at 5 p.m. on August 12, 2005, Minors attempted to pick up a package for Sandra Dill at the Ministry of Education from the Customs area of the Bermuda Airport.

The Customs officer said it wasn?t there and Minors was asked to come back on Monday.

Mr. Mahoney said the officer was alarmed. There was a search of the package and it was found that, the back of the seat of a student chair was filled with cannabis.

?When he returned to the airport on Monday, August 15, he went through the motions to get the package, got on his bike and when the Police went to arrest him he tried to flee.?

The Customs officer, Hillary Rodill, told the court yesterday after his conversation with Minors he waited for the arrival of a second customs officer before he searched for the Ministry of Education consignment.

Mr. Rodill said: ?I waited for customs officer Greg Pearman and we located all of the goods for the Department of Education and we came across only one piece that had arrived that day on the All Canada freighter.?

After opening the box and inspecting the chair, its the hard and lumpy back rest lead Mr. Rodill to X-ray it and he discovered the backrest was not consistent with what he would expect.

Mr. Rodill, then removed it from the X-ray machine took off the plastic backing and found some clear wrapped material, which led Mr. Rodill to call Ms McKey and Detective Sergeant Small.

Detective Small cut open the plastic wrapping to find plant-like material.

Puisne Justice Carlisle Greaves adjourned the court until today and Mr. Rodill will continue his testimony.