A man accused of possessing more than $33,000 worth of cannabis with intent to supply told a jury he finds it hard to remember the events in question but “I’m not lying.”

Shane Minors, who denies the charge, told Supreme Court he often ran errands for friends and family in his Pembroke neighbourhood, and a woman approached him in August 2005 to collect a package from the Airport.

According to the prosecution case, the package he picked up contained a student chair that Police and Customs officers discovered had the drug concealed in the back rest.

Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney told the jury in his opening address earlier this week that Minors made a failed attempt to pick up the package from the Airport on August 12. Subsequently, the drug discovery was made, and Minors was arrested upon his return to the airport on August 15.

The parcel, sent from an Allen Thomas in New Jersey, was addressed to Sandra Dill, Department of Education. A woman of that name has previously given evidence in the trial that she had not ordered any goods from the US or conducted any business for the Department of Education at that time.

Taking the witness stand to give evidence in his own defence yesterday, Minors, aged 27, of Pembroke, said a lady named Mrs. Dill approached him on August 12 at his then residence in King Street. He said Mrs. Dill asked if he could run an errand for her, picking up something from the airport, and gave him $200.

Minors told the court he was a single father taking care of his daughter at the time, and in the habit of running errands to boost his earnings from a job cleaning pits for Carmichael’s Sanitation.

He said when he went to the Airport close to 5 p.m that day he was told the freight shed was closed and he should come back on Monday.

He said he did so, showing staff there a note Mrs. Dill gave him which, he told the court, indicated that the parcel was for someone named Alvin Spencer. He said he paid the money and went to the freight shed but was stopped by the Police as he got on his bike and drove off. He was taken to the airport Police station for questioning.

In answer to questions from Mr. Mahoney, he agreed that he had never seen Mrs. Dill before that day. However, he denied the prosecutor’s suggestion that there was no such meeting with her, and that he was making up a story as he went along which meant he was giving different versions to the court in evidence.

“I’m not lying. Two years ago. Do you remember everything?” he asked Mr. Mahoney.

The case continues.