A Pembroke man is facing a jail sentence for smuggling more than $300,000 of heroin and cocaine into the Island.

Nathan Paul Richardson, 24, pleaded guilty in Supreme Court yesterday to importing the drugs on August 1, 1999.

Four other charges of possession of the drugs with intent to supply and of importing cannabis with intent to supply were allowed to lie on the file.

Crown counsel Patrick Doherty did not read out any details of the offences.

Chief Justice Austin Ward remanded Richardson, of Table Rock Avenue, North Shore Road, in custody and warned him he faced a custodial sentence.

He refused applications from Richardson's barrister Delroy Duncan for his client be given bail and be the subject of a social inquiry.

Rejecting the bail application, he said: "Sentence is likely to be custodial and it would unkind to the accused to raise false hopes.'' Richardson was remanded in custody until November 1 when a date will be set for sentencing. Mr. Duncan said he would be calling a series of character witnesses.

Requesting a social inquiry for Richardson, Mr. Duncan said: "The offence, albeit serious, relates to a young man of 24 who has no other relevant offences.

Richardson pleads guilty "He is a young man who has held steady employment since he left school and has a young child.'' He said Government was concerned about the number of young men being jailed for drug offences.

But Mr. Justice Ward said a social inquiry would not help Richardson because age and other circumstances would not be taken into consideration in such a serious importation.

"The conviction relates to over $300,000 of controlled drugs so the social inquiry report would contain nothing that you could not say on your own,'' he said.

He added: "If Government has a policy that young people should not be sent to prison at all (for drug offences), it should change the law.''