A Warwick man was this morning jailed for three years after admitting importing more than 5kg of cannabis.

Damion Smith, 44, was arrested at the LF Wade International Airport on August 28 after 12 packages of the controlled drug were discovered in his luggage.

The court heard that Smith had arrived on a British Airway’s flight from London Gatwick and collected two suitcases before a K9 unit directed customs officers to the checked bags.

One of the suitcases were X-rayed, revealing six rectangular objects. The suitcase was then opened and several black packages were found in a bottom compartment.

Each of the heat-sealed packages were wrapped in carbon paper and contained plant material. A further six packages were discovered in his second suitcase.

In total, the packages contained 5,036.99g of cannabis, which prosecutors estimated could fetch as much as $265,289 if sold on the streets of Bermuda.

While Smith denied the offence in an initial appearance in court, he reversed his plea this morning, pleading guilty.

Prosecutor Alan Richards suggested a sentence of four years in prison, noting that while Smith had admitted the offence he had previously been jailed for conspiracy to supply a controlled drug in the United Kingdom.

However defence lawyer Elizabeth Christopher argued that a sentence of no more than three years would be appropriate, saying that Smith had accepted responsibility for the drugs at the airport and would miss the birth of his child.

Addressing the court himself, Smith asked the court for leniency saying that he had made a bad decision in an effort to support his family.

“I wasn’t looking at it as a get-rich-quick scheme,” he said. “I was looking at something to provide for my family.”

He explained that he had found it impossible to find permanent work because of his previous convictions, including a 1997 manslaughter conviction in connection with the death of Reginald Chesterfield Wilson.

“Ever since I have been in jail, the only thing I have been able to do is hustles,” he said.

Asked by senior magistrate Juan Wolffe what he expected to get out of the importation, Smith indicated that he was going to be paid $4,000.

Mr Wolffe sentenced Smith to three years behind bars, saying: “Your history doesn’t look too good. This was a very serious offence. You should have known better, and a lot of the problems you have had are self inflicted.”

Noting Smith’s children, he said: “They have got to have someone to look up to and frankly you can’t do that dressed in orange. I’m hoping that you are going to do better, work hard and do what’s best for your children.”

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