can intending to pick them up at a later date and sell them to other people.

But before he could retrieve his stash, members of the Bermuda Customs Rummage Patrol intercepted the packages and Clacken was arrested.

Crown counsel Charlene Scott made these claims during her opening address to the jury at the beginning of Clacken's Supreme Court trial before Puisne Judge Norma Wade.

Clacken, 41, of Spanish Point, Pembroke, has denied importing the cannabis into Bermuda on July 25, 1995 and possessing the drugs with intent to supply.

The court heard that Senior Customs officer Sean Pitcher and three other Customs officers boarded the cruise ship Song of America on the morning of July 25, 1995 at 9.50 a.m. in St. George's.

As members of the Rummage Patrol he said they were searching the vessel for drugs, firearms, and dutiable items.

Pitcher said he saw one of the other officers, Michael Dill, remove a trash bag from a waste receptacle in the ship's Crown lounge. At the bottom of the trash can he found two duct taped packages.

"I saw officer Dill remove the packages and he probed it,'' he said. "From the incision I could see the package contained plant material. I saw officer Dill place the packages in an envelope and he then placed the envelope into his rummage bag.'' Pitcher said he left the area and called Police. While waiting for them to arrive he said the Rummage Patrol continued to search the vessel.

Around 10.40 a.m. a detective arrived and helped the Customs team search the vessel.

No other contraband was found. Pitcher said a little while later he saw the Police detective, Customs officer Dill, Clacken, a cruise ship employee and an official from the ship.

Pitcher said the four persons conversed for short while and Clacken went to another part of the ship where they searched another trash can although nothing was found there.

After this Clacken was arrested and taken to the Police Station. The trial continues today. Archie Warner is representing the accused.

MOTHER ADMITS TO STEALING A DRESS CTS Mother admits to stealing a dress A 50-year-old mother appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday for stealing a dress from Trimingham's to wear to her son's graduation.

Elizabeth Saggar, of Devon Springs Road, Devonshire, pleaded guilty to stealing the dress worth $69.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Anthony Mouchette said Saggar, who had been a sales associate at Trimingham's for about a year, stole the dress from out of the store room on June 19.

The theft was discovered the next day when Saggar wore the dress to work.

No proof of purchase could be found and Saggar -- who lost her job -- admitted she had taken the dress without paying for it.

She said she did not have any money at the time and wanted to wear the dress to her son's graduation.

Acting Magistrate Kim White ordered a social inquiry report and released Saggar on $500 bail.

He also ordered her to return to court on August 19 when the report is expected to be completed.

MAN TOLD`DISHONESTY DOES NOT PAU' CTS Man told: `Dishonesty does not pay' Acting Magistrate Kim White yesterday sent a Devonshire man, who refused to pay for a restaurant meal, to prison for two months.

Eric Weeks, 36, of Dock Hill, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to not paying a restaurant meal worth $81.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Anthony Mouchette said Weeks was taken to the Hamilton Police Station on July 7 after he was unable to pay for a meal he had at the Hog Penny Restaurant on Burnaby Hill in Pembroke.

A subsequent search revealed that Weeks only had one cent.

Mr. White told Weeks, who had a history of dishonesty offences, that "dishonesty does not pay''.

TRAINEE TRIED TO FORGE STOLEN CHEQUE Trainee tried to forge stolen cheque A training electrician blemished his clean record by trying to forge a cheque and obtain more than $1,000.

Lamon Simmons, 21, of North Shore Road, Pembroke yesterday pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to stealing a Bank of Bermuda cheque belonging to his employer John Lopes, making a false document, uttering the false document and using it to induce $1,379.96 from a Bank of Bermuda employee.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Anthony Mouchette said a $1,379.96 cheque belonging to John Lopes went missing on May 17.

As a consequence Mr. Lopes, who owns J.B.Lopes Construction, stopped the payment on the cheque.

Police were later called to the Bank of Bermuda drive-in-branch on Church Street where Simmons had attempted to cash the cheque.

Simmons said he took the cheque which he found on his job in Smith's Parish where he was working as an apprentice electrician.

Acting Magistrate Kim White extended Simmons' $500 bail and ordered him to return to court for sentencing on August 19 when a social inquiry report is expected to be completed.

THIEF GETS S SUSPENDED SENTENCE CTS Thief gets a suspended sentence A 29-year-old Sandys Parish man yesterday received a six-month suspended prison sentence after he admitted breaking into a Dockyard restaurant and stealing $40 worth of coins.

Michael Pitcher, of Victoria Road, Ireland Island, pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to breaking and entering and theft.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Anthony Mouchette said Pitcher used a screw driver to open a side door at the Freeport Gardens Restaurant in Dockyard on May 18.

He took a cold beer worth $3.50 out of the refrigerator and then used the same screw driver to take the coin box containing $40 from the cigarette vending machine.

Pitcher, who has a history of similar offences, told the court: "When I get a few drinks in I get stupid.'' Pitcher's lawyer Philip Perinchief told the court Pitcher "had a thing for vending machines''.

Mr. Perinchief also said while the crime was "annoying'' it was not serious.

"Crime is escalating and the prisons are full,'' he told Acting Magistrate Kim White, "we must try to do what we can before imprisoning a man for such offences.'' Mr. White handed down a six-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months.

But he told Pitcher to remember the next door he opened to commit a crime will be "a door into Westgate''.

MAN POSSESSED TINY AMOUNT OF WEED CTS Man possessed tiny amount of weed Having just over one gram of cannabis cost a Hamilton Parish man $150 yesterday.

Dion Richardson, 23, of Channel View Lane, pleaded guilty to the charge in Magistrates' Court.

Police prosecutor Sgt. Anthony Mouchette said Richardson was arrested on February 29 for taking part in a disturbance at Crawl Hill, Hamilton Parish.

A subsequent search found that Richardson had two small pay type envelopes containing a total of 1.37 grams of cannabis.