Cruise ship staff uncovered a stash of drugs with a street value of more than $200,000 -- just hours after Customs officers had carried out a fruitless search of the vessel.

The incident came to light yesterday on the opening day of the Supreme Court trial of crew member Dwight Wright.

Wright, 28, of Spanish Town, Jamaica, was arrested in connection with the discovery on board The Norwegian Majesty while it was berthed in St. George's last September.

The chief bus boy was picked up during Operation Bermuda Triangle, which broke up a major drugs ring between the Island and New York. He has pleaded not guilty to counts of importing, handling and possessing cocaine and cannabis.

Opening the case for the prosecution yesterday, lawyer Sandra Bacchus explained to the five-man, seven-woman jury how the drugs were found in a bottled water box -- Wright was responsible for the water supply and had the key to the room in which it was kept.

And she said an observant colleague had spotted Wright acting suspiciously when Customs officers carried out a search of the ship's kitchens.

Giving evidence, waiter Joseph Martinez said he spotted Wright in the dining room's linen closet on the morning of September 1.

He also noticed two boxes of Evian mineral water on the floor of the closet.

When he asked Wright what they were doing there the defendant replied they were only there temporarily and that he had been told to put them by the diningroom's maitre d'.

Mr. Martinez said later that same evening, when Customs officers were carrying out a drugs search in the ship's kitchens and dining area, Wright removed the boxes.

He became suspicious and informed maitre d' Kelly Charles about the incident the next morning.

Taking the witness stand, Mr. Kelly testified later that day he carried out a search of the ship's holding cell where mineral water was being stored. The drugs, consisting of 13 packages of cannabis and one packet of cocaine, were found in one of the boxes.

Defence attorney Richard Hector tried to dismiss Mr. Martinez's testimony, suggesting that he had an axe to grind with the defendant over a dispute over girlfriends.

And he highlighted the fact that although Wright did have a key to the linen closet and the holding cell, other crew members also had access to both rooms.

Mr. Hector also questioned how Wright could have removed the drugs from the linen closet, travelled the length of the ship to the holding cell, and then returned in the space of a few minutes.

The case continues this afternoon.

DRUGS DGS