A man accused of conspiring to import cocaine told Police it was one of many other shipments of cocaine-laced golf clubs due to arrive in Bermuda.

Det. Con. Alex Severin said he asked Lang Onley whether the golf clubs seized were one of many shipments to arrive.

The officer said Onley replied: "Yea, this was one of many shipments.'' Det. Con. Severin was giving evidence on day six of the trial of Richard Ricardo Steede, 39, of 12 Kitty's Lane, Hamilton Parish and Onley, 40, of 12 Harvest Lane, Hamilton Parish. The men are charged with conspiring to import cocaine, handling the same drug, and possessing with intent to supply cocaine with a street value of $138,000.

He said he searched Onley around 11 a.m. on March 31 and found a piece of pink paper with a Federal Express bill number on it. On the opposite side of the paper was a telephone number to Fed Ex, said Det. Con. Severin.

The officer noted neither Police information received nor an interview with witness James Lambert suggested that Mr. Lambert was involved in the importation of the 16 cocaine-laced golf clubs.

Crown counsel Peter Eccles last week told the five-man, seven-woman jury the clubs arrived at the airport by FedEx between March 28 and 31, 1998. The cocaine-laced clubs were shipped to the Mid-Ocean Club for Onley, who was a caddy at that club, to pick up.

Mr. Eccles said the cocaine was imported by a joint enterprise between Steede and Onley.

Witness for the Crown, James Lambert -- a former employee of Mid-Ocean Club -- testified he was asked by Steede if there were ways of using golf clubs to import drugs into Bermuda. Mr. Lambert said he did not want to put his job at risk so he only discussed how to import cocaine in golf clubs with Steede.

Mr. Lambert said he did not want to put his job at risk because he is a family man. He said he was promised some drugs if he took up the deal.

Det. Con. Severin told the court yesterday Mr. Lambert was afraid of being killed and he was reluctant at first to give a statement to Police.

Steede's lawyer, Richard Hector, asked the officer if Mr. Lambert was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled drug by Police.

"Information during the Police interview with James Lambert suggested that he was not involved in the importation of the 16 golf clubs,'' said Det. Con Severin.

Det. Sgt. Dennis Gordon, the officer-in-charge of the drug bust, told the court he went to Steede's house on April 1, last year, armed with a search warrant.

He said Police surrounded the residence and he was at the front when he heard Det. Con. Trevor Knight, who was guarding the rear, shouting something.

He said officers dashed in the direction of the shout, but Steede eluded them.

Det. Sgt. Gordon said he asked Steede's former neighbour, at 10 Kitty's Drive, for permission to search his house for Steede and to search a tool shed.

A search of the house was conducted by Police, but Steede had escaped, he said.

The officer said he went into the shed which was dark and saw "Onley was jammed up against that golf bag in the shed with 16 clubs''.

The case continues today before Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller.