A defence witness in the trial of an accused drug dealer claimed yesterday that the drugs actually belonged to another man who had planted them in the defendant?s home.

Kimwande Shelly Walker, 29, of Pearman?s Hill, Warwick has denied five charges of possession with intent to supply in relation to $20,000 worth of crack, cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy that was found at his home on July 26, 2003.

But yesterday, defence witness Richard Medeiros told the court that the drugs had actually belonged to another man ? Alexander Stevenson ? who has since left the Island.

Mr. Medeiros identified the black bag in which most of the drugs were found.

He said he and Stevenson had gone to Walker?s home less than a week before Walker?s arrest and Stevenson had been carrying the bag.

At one point during that visit, Stevenson went into the kitchen alone and that was the last time he saw the black bag, Medeiros said yesterday.

Police later found drugs in both the bag and a roll of paper towel in Walker?s kitchen, the court heard.

Mr. Medeiros, who is a bartender at a Hamilton sports bar, told the court that he had been a long-time friend of Stevenson although he disapproved of his drug-dealing.

He said Stevenson now lives in North Carolina but that he had been questioned by Police before Walker?s arrest.

?Alex was working at the disco-bar, Blue Juice at that time,? he said. ?One night I when I was there, Alex was arrested and taken by Police. He then came back to Blue Juice three hours later and told us he had been questioned at the Hamilton Police Station.?

The court also heard yesterday that Stevenson had approached Walker and his former lawyer, Larry Scott, and told them the bag of drugs belonged to him.

Testifying yesterday, Mr. Scott said: ?Mr. Stevenson and I had a frank discussion on the matter and I advised him that he should seek independent legal counsel.?

Mr. Scott also said he passed this information on to Police.

Testifying in his own defence, Walker told the court that the $2,100 found in his wallet on the day of his arrest was left over from the sale of a boat engine.

Closing the defence case, Walker?s lawyer Victoria Pearman said there was ?zero? evidence strong enough for a conviction.

She said:?We have heard that the search warrant for the arrest had no name on it, and was only made out for ?Biggs?.

?In addition we have heard (Police) Sgt. Cardwell say that ?the black bag was the specific target of my investigation?. He also told us that he had received information it might have belonged to someone else.?

But Crown counsel Anthony Blackman said he doubted Stevenson would have only planted the two plastic twists of crack found in the paper towel holder and that he found it hard to believe Walker did not look inside the bag allegedly left at his house by a drug dealer.