"stunned'' when he found out his roommate Dexter Dillas was dealing in drugs.

Taking the stand in his own defence, a soft-spoken Ebbin said he had "never dealt in drugs before''.

He said all three of the crown's key witnesses had lied on the stand, because he had not had any involvement with the vast Cuban drug smuggling ring the crown alleges he bought cocaine from.

However, Ebbin admitted he had bagged and sold cocaine for Dillas, earning $10 for every "$100-half-gram wrap'' he sold.

And under cross examination, he conceded he had two past convictions for possession of cocaine.

Dillas was sentenced to 18 years earlier this year after he admitted charges of cocaine smuggling.

Ebbin told crown counsel Mr. Diarmuid Doorly he was "surprised'' at himself for selling the drugs for Dillas. But he said he only did it about five times so it was not really "dealing''.

Ebbin said he first met the Cubans' "man in Bermuda'' Antonio Miranda at the Oasis nightclub.

Ebbin said he bumped into Miranda again at Elbow Beach during College Weeks where he introduced him to Dillas. Miranda never told him why he was in Bermuda and never discussed drugs with him, he added.

Miranda has told the court he distributed half of some 11 kilos of cocaine directly to Ebbin and Dillas and often at their apartment. He claimed the drugs were smuggled in by American couriers Victor Alongi and Angela Trapasso.

Ebbin said he met Trapasso at a pub after sending her a drink. He flatly denied her version that she had called him, because she knew him.

As for Alongi, Ebbin said he had never met the man. Alongi has testified he introduced Ebbin and Dillas to the Cubans after selling them cocaine.

Ted Ming, bandleader for the Bermuda Strollers, was called to testify earlier in the day. He also claimed he never had dealings with Alongi and Miranda.

Alongi has testified he arranged to meet Ming at the Southampton Princess on a Saturday night to make a drug deal with Ebbin and Dillas.

But Ming told the court this could not be true because he never worked at the Southampton Princess on Saturday nights.

Before leaving the stand, Ming said he did not use or deal in drugs. "But you knew people who did -- Ebbin and Dillas,'' Mr. Doorly said. Ming said he did not know of Dillas' dealings because he was "a private person'' who tended to mind his own business.

Ebbin, 35, has denied importing cocaine between May 11 and May 20 of 1990 and conspiring to import the drug between October, 1988 and May 17, 1990 with others not before the court. He was arrested on May 18, 1990 during a drug raid on his apartment.