Adamant that players in the drug trade needed to be sent a message, Assistant Justice Archibald Warner sentenced a West African man to 18 years in prison yesterday.

"Those who have ears to hear, let them hear," Mr. Justice Warner said after he sentenced Benin national Yaloo Celtius Mitchai.

Crown counsel Cindy Clarke told the Supreme Court judge the French speaking 22-year-old Mitchai entered Bermuda on March 2. She said when questioned by Customs officials at Bermuda International Airport, he told them his purpose of coming to Bermuda was to see the Bermuda Triangle.

Ms Clarke also said Mitchai denied having drugs. Subsequently, he was transported to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he declined medical attention and refused to be X-rayed.

According to evidence, he was detained at the hospital and passed 75 pellets in his stool between March 3 and March 6.

Mitchai later admitted to swallowing the drugs in Curacao for a man called "Nana". He pleaded guilty on August 5.

The drugs were estimated to have a street value of $2.6 million. Ms Clarke recommended that Mitchai, a student, be given a custodial sentence between 13 and 16 years.

"This man had a blatant disregard for this community," she said.

But defence lawyer Elizabeth Christopher said that her client, who she claimed cooperated with both local and French authorities, thought he swallowed marijuana and had no idea of how strict Bermuda's laws were regarding drug activity.

But Mr. Warner was not convinced of her argument, and said: "This man is not stupid. He's intelligent... Give me a break.

"All I'm asking is that this defendant be treated as our system of law says he should be," she asked.

Saying he had to send a message to foreigners who thought they could import drugs to Bermuda, Mr. Warner said: "They believe that Bermuda is a soft place. They must be deterred."

Before he was handed his sentence, a visibly nervous Mitchai told Mr.Warner that he was ashamed of his action and that he had made the biggest mistake of his life.

"I'm sorry for the possibility of what could have happened on the Island," he said.