The son of a senior Customs officer is at the centre of a $280,000 drug bust being probed by detectives.

The 27-year-old from Warwick, who has not been named, was arrested last April after allegedly being found with cannabis as he came through Bermuda Airport.

Police will finally pass the case file to the Attorney General's Chambers this week -- and are hunting a ring-leader based in California.

Officers are still trying to build up a dossier of evidence and have released the suspect from Police bail.

But a force spokeswoman said last night: "The investigation is by no means dead.'' The man was found with 5,628 grammes of cannabis during a search by Customs officers -- his father's colleagues.

The seized drugs would net $281,400 if sold in half-gramme packets. Narcotics officers said the drugs would fetch $100,400 if sold by the ounce and $73,801 if sold by the pound.

They said the suspect was initially arrested for importing the drugs.

But he pleaded ignorance, claiming the cannabis had been planted on him by a "friend''.

Now Police, acting on tip-offs, are searching for a California-based Bermudian, believed to be a university student.

They believe he may have masterminded the smuggling plot.

Collector of Customs Bill LeDrew said: "When we make a seizure, we turn the investigation over to the Police and the Police are still doing their investigation.

"I cannot deny the fact that the suspected person is a relative of one of our employees but other than that, there is really not much comment I can make.

"It must be causing some embarrassment to his father -- just as it would to any parent.''