Magistrates' Court yesterday heard that 26-year-old Anthony Beharry, of Trinidad, brought more than 400 grams of the drugs in on the cruise ship.

Beharry also admitted possessing the drug with intent to supply and knowingly handling the drug with intent to supply.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Donald Grant told the court Police arrested Beharry and another man, walking east on Victoria Street around 10 a.m. on July 17, on suspicion of drug offences.

When officers searched Beharry they found two brown taped packages filled with a plant-like material in his crotch area.

Sgt. Grant said Beharry told Police he and the other man were on their way to a phone booth to call their local contact.

In a subsequent search of Beharry's cabin Police found two more brown packages with the same brown tape in the ceiling.

Sgt. Grant said the total amount of cannabis was confirmed to be 413 grams.

With the street value for half a gram of cannabis at $25, he added, the total amount of drugs could have sold for more than $20,000 in Bermuda.

Beharry, he added, was expecting to receive $1,000 for his service.

Upon hearing this Senior Magistrate Will Francis was prepared to send Beharry to prison for four years on each count.

But duty counsel Elizabeth Christopher pointed out that Beharry, who was the father of two young children, had no previous criminal history of the sort and had only been on the cruise ship route for two months.

Miss Christopher also noted the man who Beharry was with was able to walk free because he was not carrying the drug.

After hearing these points, Mr. Francis dropped the sentence to three years on each count, to run concurrently.