Drugs can be brought into Bermuda with surprising ease, with airport workers, business owners and even Police involved in the importation and sale of millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs, a former drugs kingpin has claimed.

In an in-depth interview with , the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described how money was laundered and drugs were imported to the Island despite the presence of security officers, Police and Customs Officers at the airport and the docks.

Tom (not his real name) admits he has been selling drugs for his whole life, starting with cannabis when he was about 11.

He says he stopped dealing hardcore drugs like heroin and cocaine about four years ago but sells a little bit here and there to support his own severe heroin habit. He claimed at one point he was responsible for 80 to 90 percent of the heroin circulating throughout the Island.

He described how on one occasion he went to Manhattan, bought his ?package? and went down to the docks to find a mule, or courier. He said once he found the individual, he paid him only $500 to carry 12 ounces of heroin worth about $120,000 into Bermuda.

Another, riskier, way to import drugs is by plane where many people get caught.

Tom said before drugs are brought into Bermuda, money has to go out without anyone knowing about it. ?If you want to take money out of Bermuda you give the money to somebody who?s working on the departure side (of the airport) and a small lock. When your bag goes through, the men will search on the computer under the Bermuda Monetary Act 1970 under the Criminal Code and find no money on you so they let your bag go through.

?Brother from the other side sees your bag coming through, unzips it, puts the money in, zips it up, and puts the lock on it. The bag comes around the belt (and) I see the lock on it (and) I know the money?s there. I in turn take my bag, show them my claims tag and walk out with it.?

Tom said coming back to Bermuda before September 11, 2001 was a similar process.

He said he would take a suitcase and fill it with clothing from Salvation Army. He would go to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York with the suitcase and the drugs in another bag.

He would pay the person at the check-in counter to check his bag through then put the drugs in on the top before locking the bag.

?He puts claims tag on the bag. You give him the other piece (and) the bag goes down and out of sight. You know what?s the name tag on the bag? Donald Duck!

?All you need is a folder in your hand, a ticket folder, no ticket inside and you walk in and go down the escalator sit down at McDonald?s and have something to eat, watch the plane leave and come out and leave.

?My boy looks for brown bag, unlocks it, pulls the drugs out, takes the claims tags off and lets it go round the bend.?

Another way Tom used to bring back drugs was by pretending to be an Airport worker. He worked at the Airport for three years and still had his uniform and identification.

?One time at the airport ? I worked there for three years ? when I left I still had my ID and my clothes. I used to come off the flight, walk through, go around to the bathroom, put my BAS clothes on, walk through the turnstile with my ID on, walk out to the plane, walk up and get my package and come off. I didn?t even work there no more.

?That?s how I used to do it. Come off the plane, walk through with all my blues and my ID on, got my gloves in my back pocket, go past the rent-a-cops, show them your ID and keep moving.

?Jump on the tugs, you know the plane?s empty, go up the steps, go right underneath the seat and take out your package and put it on you.

?Come back down the steps, jump back on the tug, ride across. If you see the dog, stay away from him. They don?t even notice ? probably thought I still worked there.

?Now if The Man (Police) is really watching, you go down to the end, throw the package over the fence, walk back go through the turnstile, grab your package up and walk out to the road. I did that for like a year after I had left. A drug dealer?s got all day to think about what he?s going to do. If you?re a cop you?ve got eight hours to deal with it. We have 24/7.?

Tom said the way he got out money out of Bermuda was to go to the Bermuda Monetary Authority and tell them he was building a house and needed supplies. ?You go to Monetary (Authority), tell them: ?Look, I?m building a house I need to get windows and doors, whatever, whatever, I need $40,000.

?You get the cheque made up to a company in the States and they in turn will cash it and take out their percentage, take up to $5,000 and they will give you back $35,000 cash and then give you a receipt or an invoice for windows and doors and tile and carpets.

?When you come back you just have to give that receipt to Monetary Authority and tell them the containers on its way. Ain?t no container coming!?

Tom said laundering money in Bermuda was easy. He said he would tell people to go to a Court Street establishment and talk to the owner who would write them a cheque. In the memo it will say painter or for the roof.

?You give them $30,000 and you get back $25,000. You?ve got a cheque now.?

Tom also said there were also various ways to launder money in order to buy a house without looking suspicious. Tom said another problem in the drug trade of Bermuda was corrupt Policemen. He recalled a situation where a friend of his went to buy a $42,000 BMW with drug money. He said the man put the cash on the counter and the salesman called the Police.

?The officers came in, took the money and arrested them. They also went to the man?s home and raided it.?

Tom said his friend had six ounces of cocaine and $40,000 at the house but the Police report said there was half a gram of coke and $300.

?And you know what they told them? If you know what?s good for you keep your mouth shut.?

He said another time he was at a fellow dealer?s home ?sitting off, having my taste? when they saw a paddy wagon coming down the road towards the house. Tom said he went to pack up the drugs but his friend told him not to worry about it.

His friend went down to the vehicle and gave the officer money and received a package in return. ?This is Narcotics bringing my boy drugs!?

Tom said even though he doesn?t sell like he used to, he still hustles just to support his habit.

?Normally I buy a ?eight ball? ? three and a half grams cost anywhere from $1,000-$1,250. If I sell a gram and make back $1,500, cool, make back $1,300 cool, then I get a little extra $300, I can give it to my girl.?

He admitted to spending $150 that morning before the interview for his ?breakfast?.

Tom said one thing that might surprise some people is the amount of drugs in wealthy areas like Fairylands.

?These white boys sell eight balls of cocaine. I had a mind to take a gun and stick them up. These white boy wannabe gangsters ? bust one tap [and they would be afraid.?

Tom says the drug trade in Bermuda is so advanced that he thinks Bermuda has the most drugs in the world for its size, a view borne out by statistics on seizures which suggest Bermuda imported drugs with a street value of $200 million last year.

?They (used to) say 75 cents from every dollar comes from tourism ? I say 75 cents from every dollar comes from drugs. Drugs are Bermuda?s cash crop.?

Another area of the underground drug world Tom spoke about is prostitution.

?If you want to buy a ho (whore) ? male or female ? go down Princess Street. If you have a car, Saturday night drive through there about 11.30, 12 o?clock. You will see people up on the corner by the snowball shop and up by Social Club.

He claimed a few people he knew in high places hired prostitutes.

Tom also said he knew a young woman who is a professional prostitute. She owns her own house, her nails and hair are done every week and she drives a convertible.

This woman charges $300 an hour and offers services to businessmen that fly into the Island.

Tom said she will take multiple men at a time as long as they pay individually. ?People think that don?t happen in Bermuda?, he said. ?The stuff that happens here is unreal.?

He said the drugs lifestyle has gotten so bad that a friend of his told him he would prefer to be at Westgate because he had no place to stay and no job. ?He said to me ?If I go jail, I get some down time (and) they?ll get me a job when I come out?. I mean what kind of mentality is that.?

He agrees with the belief that marijuana and liquor are gateway drugs to harder drugs ? that?s how he started.

?This ain?t no joke, this is serious business. Drugs are demons,? he said.