"vacation'' in Bermuda for her part in a $42,375 conspiracy to import cocaine.

But Jacqueline Martells' holiday went badly wrong when she was arrested four days after her arrival on the Island.

Martells is accused with 19-year-old Bermudian, Robin Young, of conspiracy to import a controlled drug.

Young, of Boundary Terrace, Devonshire, is also charged with possession and handling the drug, which was found in a secret compartment in the bottom of her carry-on bag, by customs officers at Bermuda's Civil Air Terminal.

Det. Con. Kimberley Vickers told the Supreme Court that on Sunday, February 9, she was present in the airport's customs hall. She was asked to search the bag, which had been brought into Bermuda by Young.

Det. Const. Vickers said that she made a small opening in the bottom of the bag and found two clear bags containing a white powder. She then arrested Young.

While Young was being searched, Det. Con. Vickers said that Martells entered the airport Police station and asked about the whereabouts of Young. She was asked if she knew Young but denied it stating that she had been asked by "someone outside'' to check if Young was still there.

Later a connection between Young and Martells was found. It was discovered that a luggage label belonging to Martells gave the name and address of Shirleen Phillips. Det. Con. Vickers said Phillips, of Spring Hill Road, is Young's stepmother and was known to her as Aunt Shirleen.

On Monday, the court heard that Young had told friends that she was going to America "to bring back drugs for her Aunt Shirleen''.

In a statement to the Police, Martells, a nurse's aide of North Strand, Brooklyn, said she had been asked to travel to Bermuda by her friends in New York, Basil Thompson and another man called Tony.

She said: "Tony paid for the air fare. I was supposed to meet Shirleen Phillips. I was supposed to send over $3,000 and then stay in the country and enjoy myself.'' Martells later told Police that she was told to stay at Shirleen Phllips' house for three months and send a total of $9,000 back over the period.

However she found the house to be "nasty'' and chose to move into a guest house instead.

Martells told the Police that she flew on the same plane as Young, believing her to be called Tina. She said she realised that Young was bringing the drugs into Bermuda.

In her statement she said that she had no idea what quantity of drugs Young had in her possession. She said she presumed it would be cocaine. Martells told Police she had never met Young before and only found out about her arrest two days after it happened.

Earlier in the day defence counsel Mr. Archie Warner accused Young's former boyfriend, Mr. Dupray Joell, of "concocting'' a story about a phone call in which she phoned him from New York and told him she was going to smuggle drugs into Bermuda.

Mr. Warner said: "You were upset at Robin because you thought she had used money, that she said she would spend buying your bike, and gone to the United States.'' Joell denied this and stated that during the phone call he had told Young not to bring drugs into the Country.

Puisne Judge, the Hon. Mrs. Justice Ward brought an early end to yesterday's proceedings which had been punctuated with legal arguments between Crown Counsel Mr. Brian Calhoun and defence lawyers Mr. Warner and Mr. Khamisi Tokunbo.

They will discuss another matter of law before the jury is allowed into court tomorrow.