Prosecutors have called for an Arizona man caught with a plethora of drugs in his suitcase to be sentenced to up to 12 years behind bars.

However, defence counsel argued that such a sentence would be excessive given the defendant’s personal circumstances and role in the crime, stating that he had been led like a “puppet”.

Christopher McIver, 61, admitted importation of cocaine, cannabis, a substance containing THC and diamorphine — also known as heroin — to the island.

The court heard that the drugs seized had an estimated total value of $1,213,856.

McIver denied possessing the drugs with intent to supply and the Crown elected not to proceed with those charges.

At a sentencing hearing yesterday, the Supreme Court heard that McIver arrived on the island on an American Airlines flight from New York shortly before 1pm on November 9, 2022.

He was selected for a secondary search and, when questioned, told customs officials that the suitcases were his and that he had packed them himself.

However, when the first suitcase was opened and officers found a number of packages wrapped in plastic, McIver said he had no knowledge of the items.

He then told the officers that “a guy” had given him the suitcase at the airport and he had believed it was his.

McIver went on to say that he was supposed to be visited at his hotel by someone named “John” before asking officers: “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

A total of eight packages were found in the suitcase, which contained 8,535.7g of cannabis, 602.8g of a substance containing THC, 1,006.9g of cocaine and 29.8g of heroin.

Police also discovered evidence of an $800 MoneyGram payment sent to the defendant a week before he travelled to Bermuda and a series of WhatsApp messages on his phone regarding his travel plans.

The conversations included the other person telling McIver how to fill out his travel authorisation form and the dates he should arrive on the island, along with McIver sending photographs of what he would wear while travelling.

Kael London, for the Crown, called for a sentence of up to 12 years behind bars noting the quantity and value of the drugs discovered.

He also argued that while McIver pleaded guilty, he did so on the eve of his trial and should therefore not benefit from the full discount given for early guilty pleas.

Susan Mulligan, for McIver, said prosecutors had only disclosed evidence of the WhatsApp messages just before trial.

“I was unable to fully and properly advise McIver because the Crown had not made full disclosure,” she said.

Ms Mulligan said that while a custodial sentence was expected, a sentence of between six and eight years would be more suitable given McIver’s age, lack of previous convictions and personal circumstances.

She said the phone records showed he had been pressured by someone in the Turks & Caicos Islands, where he had run a failed business, over a promise he made to invest $50,000 in a boat.

“He was feeling duress. He was feeling stress from this man,” Ms Mulligan said.

She said the message showed that her client had been “led around like a puppet” by others and video evidence from his arrest showed he was distraught and crying after the drugs were discovered, asking for the police to shoot him.

While Ms Mulligan said a letter written by McIver’s brother highlighted a history of physical and mental health challenges, Mr London noted that the letter also said the defendant was capable of making up stories with “skill and detail”.

He said that while McIver was taken to the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute after his arrest because of the comments he made to police, he was subsequently released and there were no reports to indicate that he had a mental health condition

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons reserved her sentence until a date to be determined.

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