Latvian sailor Janis Zegelis has been convicted of importing $48 million worth of cocaine and a gun into Bermuda on his yacht.The 29-year-old was found guilty by the unanimous verdicts of a jury after four hours of deliberations yesterday, and remanded into custody.The maximum punishment he faces is life in prison when he is sentenced on Tuesday.Asked how he was feeling as he was led to a prison van, the father-of-three replied: “How would you feel in my place?”During his nine-day trial, the jury heard Zegelis was sailing his 38-foot sloop, Arturs, from Trinidad to Latvia, in Eastern Europe, when damage to his boat forced him to stop in Bermuda for repairs.Prosecutors say he was smuggling the drugs to raise money for his family, who were struggling financially in his impoverished home country.E-mails showed he discussed the contraband with his mother, and she urged him not to dump the items overboard despite the damage to his yacht.However, Zegelis claimed he was the victim of a plot by a Russian man who hired him to deliver the boat.He said the man hid the drugs and gun below decks and he did not discover them until three days into his voyage last July.He further claimed that he was too scared to dump the drugs or tell the authorities what happened because the Russian — who he refused to name — threatened to kill him and his family.The jury rejected the arguments of defence lawyer Mark Pettingill that Zegelis had the legal defence of acting under threat or duress.At the beginning of the case on May 28, Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves raised the prospect that some Bermudians might resent having to pay to keep Zegelis in prison. He said anyone with that attitude should not serve on the jury.In his closing speech, Mr Field urged the six men and six women deciding the case to bear in mind the amount of “misery and death” $48 million of cocaine would cause.Speaking after the verdicts, Mr Field said: “International drug trafficking is a multi-jurisdictional problem and inevitably touches on a number of countries, all of which must shoulder responsibility to combat this criminality, and if necessary try cases in their courts dealing with importation.“If the evidence is persuasive, this should lead to conviction and sentencing.”Deputy Director Cindy Clarke and Crown counsel Takiyah Burgess joined him in prosecuting the case.Acting Superintendent Sean Field-Lament said the Bermuda Police Service welcomed the verdicts.“The successful outcome of this investigation was a result of multi-agency cooperation between HM Customs, the Bermuda Police Service and fellow law enforcement agencies in the USA and the Caribbean region,” he said.“It underscores the value of joined-up partnership working and highlights the value of shared intelligence. It also demonstrates that drug trafficking is an international scourge and that despite our size Bermuda can be an important partner in global drug interdiction.”Defence lawyer Mr Pettingill said Zegelis may appeal his conviction.“There are serious issues of law that have arisen in this case. That's obvious by the fact that the jury deliberated for so long,” he said. “Our law on the defence of duress tends to not be in line with other jurisdictions.”Asked how Zegelis — who has sons aged ten and seven and a two-year-old daughter — is coping with prison life, he replied: “He's doing well. He has a good attitude.”For more on the second largest seizure in Bermuda click here