The lawyer of a man charged with importing some $200,000 worth of cannabis has accused the man's co-worker of "setting up'' his client.

Gregory Ryan Ashby, of Berkeley Road, Pembroke, faces Supreme Court charges of importing almost ten pounds of cannabis hidden inside a water heater between February 14 and 21 last year.

The 37-year-old man also faces a charge of possessing and handling the drugs with the intent to supply.

But yesterday, defence lawyer Archibald Warner suggested a witness for the prosecution, Sinclair MacDonald Pitt, of Watlington Road, Devonshire, had arranged the drug pick up.

The six-man, six-woman jury heard Mr. Pitt and Ashby both worked at the Bermuda Forwarders company. The men were working together on the day the water heater, containing drugs, was picked up from the Number Eight Shed on Front Street.

Mr. Pitt told the jury the two men took the heater to Ashby's house after leaving the docks.

He also told Crown counsel, Peter Eccles, he knew nothing about the two packages delivered to Ashby's home, but never questioned Ashby about them.

However, he said he recalled a comment which Ashby made which sounded like: "Moody messed up. I'm supposed to get a third''.

Mr. Pitt told the court he had met a man called Moody before at Ashby's home, but did not know him personally.

Earlier in the trial, the operations manager for Fast Forward Freight told the court a man called Moody had signed for and received the paperwork for the heater and toilet.

But Mr. Warner challenged Mr. Pitt's account and said Ashby had only agreed to hold the packages at his home because Mr. Pitt had asked him to do so.

Mr. Warner also suggested Mr. Pitt had altered his earlier account given to Police to implicate his colleague.

"You are not as simple as you want us to believe, are you?'' Mr. Warner asked Mr. Pitt.

"As a matter of fact, from the outset your intention was to make it look like it was Ashby alone who picked up the boxes.'' "You are trying to push all the blame on Ashby,'' Mr. Warner added.

But Mr. Pitt denied all the allegations.

On February 19 last year, Police and Custom officials discovered 11 packages of cannabis concealed inside a 30-gallon water heater shipped on board the Oleander and addressed to David DeSilva.

The bulk of the cannabis was removed and analysed, but the Police allowed the water heater to be picked up by Ashby and Mr. Pitt and taken to Ashby's home on February 21.

Yesterday, the jury also heard further testimony regarding the investigation and freight handling procedures before Ashby received the water heater.

Roger David Powell, the shed manager for Stevedoring Services, told the court Ashby arrived at the shipping office on Front Street a few days before February 19 to check on furniture cargo for his mother.

Mr. Powell said he could find no mention of cargo shipped under Ashby's name.

But he said Ashby moved closer to the desk and looked through the records himself.

According to Mr. Powell, Ashby then stopped at one of the pages and muttered "this could be it''.

Mr. Powell said his attention was initially drawn to the names Barker and Linburg, but he later realised that David DeSilva's name was on the same page.

He also said Ashby left the office before he could question him further.

The trial continues today before Chief Justice Austin Wade.