A drug smuggler was jailed for three and a half years on Friday after admitting he tried to bring a stash of cannabis into the Island.

Allan Eugene Robinson, 25, of Deepdale Road West, Pembroke, was arrested by Police at the Airport on January 17 after Customs officers discovered 8 packs of cannabis in a stereo player.

The drugs, which had a street value of $20,650, were spotted when the stereo was passed through an X-ray machine at the Airport.

Robinson, who was returning from a trip to New York, originally claimed he knew nothing about the drugs. But on Monday, just as his trial was about to start, he changed his plea to guilty.

Yesterday defence lawyer Elizabeth Christopher argued that Robinson, who has four young children, should receive a two-year custodial sentence.

But Puisne Judge Norma Wade Miller warned that "sympathy could not play a significant part'' in her decision.

"It changes one's life but that's the chance you take when you get involved in this sort of thing,'' she said.

"We see over and over again these young lives getting involved and because of the level of money they take a chance.

"But we have to do justice not only for the court but also for the public. I have taken into account your plea of guilty and the fact that this is your first offence and your personal circumstances.

"But each matter must be dealt with on its own merits and this was a carefully planned affair with a level of sophistication.

"The scourge of drugs continues to strike at the very heart of the community.

That's the chance you take when you get involved in this sort of thing.''