A Canadian woman accused of importing cocaine worth nearly $100,000 inside golf clubs began her Supreme Court trial yesterday.

Ana Formanchuk, 23, of Toronto, Ontario, has pleaded not guilty to importing a controlled drug and possession with intent to supply.

Crown Counsel Graveney Bannister told the jury that Formanchuk had been picked out by customs as she entered the Island on a Delta flight on July 5 last year.

Narcotics officers were alerted and detained her. She was carrying 11 golf clubs which she said her father had given to her.

Most were later examined by Horizons golfer pro Edwin Jackson who removed the handles of the clubs and found the shafts plugged with copper used in plumbing when it was normal for them to be left open.

He said: "They were a mixture of clubs. No two were a particular make."

Mr. Jackson said the grips were bumpy and the clubs were not properly balanced.

Later Police cut one of the clubs open and a white power was revealed.

Formanchuk was arrested on suspicion of drug importation. Mr. Bannister said: "She began crying profusely."

Government analyst Christine Quigley later examined five more clubs. They were cut open and revealed white powder which turned out to be cocaine.

In all, nine of the 11 clubs contained the drug.

Narcotics Detective Sergeant Christopher Clarke said the entire haul, which ranged between 55 percent and 62 percent purity, was worth up to $93,000 on the streets of Bermuda.

The trial before the nine-woman, three man jury and Assistant Justice Archibald Warner continues today.