A drug trafficker caught trying to smuggle more than $200,000 of cannabis into Bermuda has been jailed for 22 months.

Marcus Snow was stopped after arriving at LF Wade International last July when a sniffer dog alerted authorities to his suitcase.

When the Canadian national’s bag was searched customs officers found a Nike shoebox wrapped in grey duct tape containing nine smaller packages of cannabis. Yesterday, at Supreme Court, Snow apologised for his action and said his own stupidity had cost him his job, his house and his car.

“Most importantly my own stupidity has cost me my family,” he added. “They mean everything to me and I have not seen them for nine months which has really taken its toll on me.”

The court heard that Snow arrived in Bermuda on an Air Canada flight on July 8, 2016.

After being stopped he told customs officers he had come to Bermuda to visit a friend called “Mark”. He insisted he had packed his own bag and said he expected to remain on the island for three days. After officers discovered the drugs haul in his suitcase he admitted that the bags contained weed.

Snow later told police that he had been asked by a man in Canada called “Screwhead” to bring the drugs into Bermuda and expected to be paid $3,000. He maintained that he did not realise it was illegal to bring cannabis into Bermuda.

Prosecutor Alan Richards said that the Crown did not accept Snow’s claim that he was doing nothing illegal.

Snow’s lawyer Mark Pettingill told the court that his client had been “duped” and that he had no previous record of convictions.

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons said: “The court takes a dim view of drug traffickers — and that is what you are — and there is a high premium placed on deterrence.

“I find that the appropriate sentence is three years, and will give you a 30 per cent discount for your guilty plea.”

The judge also imposed a further five per cent discount in the sentence for reasons that were not disclosed in court.

Snow admitted importing cannabis and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding criminal court cases.