A Supreme Court jury yesterday failed to return a verdict and one member fell sick in the drugs importation trial of a 25-year-old Pembroke man.

Allan Eugene Robinson, of Deepdale Road West, Pembroke, denies importing 413 grams of cannabis worth more than $20,000 on January 17 this year.

Robinson also denied possessing the cannabis with an intent to supply.

And after more than two hours of deliberation, the ten-woman, two-man jury was deadlocked seven to five votes on each of the two counts.

Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller did not record the majority vote.

The jury forewoman told Mrs. Justice Wade-Miller that after deliberating for more than two hours, the panel failed to get at least a nine-to- three majority on five occasions.

Mrs. Wade-Miller thanked the jury for its efforts and told Robinson he was free on bail until a new trial date is set.

Earlier, while directing the jury, Mrs. Wade-Miller said: "You alone are the sole judges of facts and inferences from the facts. A true verdict is a honest verdict.'' She explained that in drug cases -- unlike any others -- the burden of proof falls to the accused "unless the contrary is proved''.

Mrs. Wade-Miller added: "If you feel the explanation given by a defendant is true or is probably true then he is entitled to be acquitted.'' The jury heard that Robinson returned to the Island on a American Airlines flight after a 12-hour delay in New York and following a ten-day visit to the US.

A Customs officer said he X-rayed a combination cassette, radio, CD player and discovered eight packages wrapped in carbon paper, which was supposed to prevent an X-ray machine from detecting drugs.

And a Police narcotics officer said the value of more than 400 grams of cannabis is more than $20,000 if sold in half gram amounts on the street.

Det. Con. Alex Severin added that in his experience the amount seized at the Airport was not for personal use.

Robinson took the stand and told the jury he met an acquaintance in New York with whom he travelled about Manhattan and Brooklyn to clubs and shopping malls.

He allowed the man -- whom he called Jason or Jay -- to take several women to his hotel room in Manhattan while he stayed at a Brooklyn club until 5 a.m. of the day he was scheduled to return to Bermuda.

Robinson maintained throughout the trial that he did not know the drugs were in the CD player.