International cross-country runner Jamal K. Hart said a former Bermuda resident called ?Mikey? asked him to import a freezer to Bermuda.

The prosecution allege that the freezer contained 10,953 grams of cannabis with an estimated street value of $547,650. Hart, 37, of East Dale Lane, Southampton, has pleaded not guilty.

In Supreme Court yesterday, Hart said he was contacted by a long-time school friend Lizbeth Martinez, who wanted him to go to New York for the July 4, 2003 weekend.

?She offered me a ticket and hotel accommodation for the weekend,? Hart said. ?The offer was too good to resist so I took her up on it.?

However, when he arrived in New York, he received a message on his cellular phone from her that she was unable to meet him because of a tragic family accident, he said.

?I bumped into a friend named Mikey who I knew from when he lived in Bermuda,? Hart said. Mikey was due to meet his wife Theresa Martin at a hotel airport, he said, and he was offered to share a room with Ms Martin?s son.

Hart said he was due to stay with Ms Martinez at a Marriott hotel as she was a former employee and got a special rate. However, when she did not show he did not want to keep that reservation and decided to stay with Ms Martin?s son.

?Basically, once we checked in, as you know July 4 is the biggest holiday in the States and means bargain prices for shopping. Theresa went out there with her son simply to shop.

?She had one bag with lots of little bags in it.?

As a result, they went to a clothing outlet store in New Jersey, he said, and it was outside this shop that Mikey first spoke about bringing a freezer to Bermuda.

?He asked if I could assist in any way if somebody purchased something to arrange it to be shipped back to Bermuda,? he said. ?I then told Mikey if he intended to purchase appliances for his people I could hook him up with a company discount. He went on to say he felt he could get a better deal during the July 4 holidays.?

That night he and Mikey went to a New Jersey night-club and he said he was ?hungover? the next day when Mikey called him about the freezer.

?Mikey called the room and mentioned that he was going to talk about appliances for his people and asked if I wanted to come. I told Mikey I was not feeling too sharp,? he said. ?He mentioned to me he would check out BJ Warehouse because he had a membership card there.?

Hart returned to Bermuda that afternoon. Mikey called him again the next morning at work concerning the freezer.

Mikey said he had purchased an appliance and needed to know the exact location of the warehouse so he could drop it off, he said.

?I asked him who to ship it to and he said for Roger Smith, No. 9, Beach Road, Somerset.

?I indicated to Mikey the address should be clearly outside the box and the invoice should be visible also on the outside.?

Trevor Cowan, a senior network consultant employed by HWP also told the seven-woman, four-man jury yesterday that the same day Mikey called Hart, Hart sent an e-mail to Donald Guerrazzi at the New York warehouse about the freezer.

It was agreed that the freezer would be shipped on theOn July 9 Martha Salvaggio of New York City shipping agents SeaBridge told Hart: ?Please be advised when this freight came in for Roger Smith there was no invoice or packing list attached.?

Hart requested Ms Salvaggio make up an invoice for the freezer, he said, and it arrived in Bermuda on the

The Crown counsel was Graveney Bannister and the defence lawyer was Victoria Pearman.

The trial continues today before Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves.