his fourth trial for the alleged offence, Director of Public Prosecutions Khamisi Tokunbo has confirmed.

Clifton Hopeton Morrison, 39, who has been in custody for 17 months, has been tried twice already and a third trial was aborted halfway through due to deaths of family members of people involved in the trial.

On Monday night, Morrison was sent back to Westgate Correction Facility after a Supreme Court jury was unable to come to a verdict on whether he imported up to $300,000 of liquid cocaine in rum bottles on February 6, 1999.

He is scheduled to appear at the next arraignment session in August when a new trial date will be set.

His lawyer Victoria Pearman questioned the fairness of bringing the father of three from St. Ann's Parish, Jamaica, before the courts again and expressed concern about the effect on her client of having to face yet another trial.

But Mr. Tokunbo, who decides whether to prosecute cases, told The Royal Gazette : "At present, the situation is business as usual.

"He will be put over to the next arraignment session and I don't see that there will be any change.

"This is a case involving a not insignificant amount of drugs.'' Last July, Morrison was found guilty of importing the drugs and sentenced to 12 years, but the conviction was quashed when the Court of Appeal ruled that Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller misdirected the jury.

A retrial began in March but was abandoned halfway through when the mothers of Mrs. Justice Wade-Miller and Ms Pearman passed away.

His second full retrial ended on Monday evening when an 11 person jury remained locked at seven to four after more than eight hours of deliberation.

Ms Pearman said on Monday night: "I am very concerned about my client and question as to the overall fairness of bringing him before the courts for another time.

"He is distraught and disappointed.'' Morrison said he brought the bottles of rum to Bermuda for another Jamaican man he knew only as Jabba.

He maintained that he had no idea that the bottles contained rum and rejected a suggestion from the Crown counsel Larry Mussenden that his entire story was a "concoction''.