A Police officer who raided alleged casino ship told a Magistrate yesterday that 100 gaming machines lined two decks.

Inspector Nicholas Pedro said he saw: ?Gambling machines, both the traditional one armed bandit type machines and also the newer touch-screen video poker type machines ... the decor and the general layout of the room had the appearance of a casino-type room.?

He was giving evidence for the Crown during the Magistrates? Court trial of the ship?s Panamanian captain, Fermin Alfonso Reyes, 29, and the vessel?s manager, George Kezas, 71, of Lily Park Lane, St. George. The pair are accused of illegally importing the machines or causing them to be imported.

In answer to questions from Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney, Customs officer Michael Dill said he gave the clearance to enter Bermuda on Monday, July 24.

He said that during a meeting with Reyes at Ordnance Island, St. George, the captain described the vessel as a ?pleasure vessel?. He also confirmed there were gaming machines on board and said he was awaiting an answer from the owners as to the next port of call. Mr. Dill said Reyes gave the name and address of the owner as Channel House, Longfield Road, Southside, and said Bermuda was the ship?s home port.

Questioned by Kezas? lawyer Kevin Bean, Mr. Dill said he considered the to be ?in transit? as a pleasure craft. Under cross-examination from Elizabeth Christopher, representing Reyes, Mr. Dill said the captain was ?co-operative?.

Jonathan Scott of the Combined Seaport Enforcement Team (CSET) ? a Police and Customs unit ? searched the ship on July 24. He visited again the following day when she was moored at Marginal Wharf, St. David?s. During this operation, card slots on the gambling machines were sealed with Customs tape.

On August 11, he embarked the ship with Police and Customs officers, who conducted a search and seized items from a room marked Casino Office.

Employees of a trucking company disassembled the machines and transported them to Queen?s Warehouse in Hamilton.

Under cross-examination from the defence lawyers, Mr. Scott said he had prior dealings with when the CSET team boarded her at Dockyard in late 2005, on which occasion he saw similar machines on board.

Inspector Pedro, the officer in charge of the Fraud Unit of the Police Commercial Crime Department, described visiting the ship at Ordnance Island on July 24 when he saw an upper and lower deck furnished with gaming machines.

He returned on August 7 with Customs and Police officers where he met Kezas, who identified himself as the ship?s manager, plus John Andrews, the ship?s engineer and Cheryl Albouy. He said the latter two worked for Wiseway Enterprises.

During a further visit on August 11, the vessel was searched by Police and Customs officers and a ?large quantity? of electronically-chipped cards were seized along with a badge identifying Kezas as managing director of the ship.

A number of documents were also seized. Among these, said Inspector Pedro, was one pertaining to a meeting between Wiseway Enterprises and the Bermuda Land Development Corporation. Another had a Peniston Associates letterhead.

Both Mr. Bean and Ms Christopher objected to this letter being tendered as evidence by the Crown. Mr. Bean said that because it was a letter between legal counsel it was ?privileged?.

Ms Christopher said she considered it to be privileged, confidential and irrelevant. Mr. Mahoney said he would return to the issue of this letter later.

Insp. Pedro said the gaming machines were seized, and he gave the direction to cut wires joining them together in order to achieve this.

Reyes was taken to Hamilton Police Station where he was arrested and cautioned on suspicion of importing gaming machines into Bermuda.

Both Reyes and Kezas deny the charge against them, and the case continues.