A man has appeared in court charged with possession of more than $3,500 worth of crack cocaine with intent to supply.

Raymond Troy Rawlins, 46, was found with 11.76 grams of cocaine freebase when Police stopped a car for speeding on March 12, 2008.

Rawlins, of Court Street, Hamilton, denies possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

Crown Counsel Cindy Clarke told Magistrates' Court on Wednesday that Rawlins was a passenger in a champagne-coloured Honda CR-V stopped by Police for undisclosed traffic offences at Barnes Corner at 10.20 a.m.

It then continued west along Middle Road to Southampton, where it was stopped near Granaway Heights for allegedly speeding.

Sergeant Alexander Rollin of the Central Community Action Team told the court: "I went to assist a colleague that had pursued this vehicle in a westerly direction on Middle Road.

"From what I remember it was travelling at speed."

Sgt. Rollin said when he arrived at the scene, Rawlins was standing by the passenger door and "appeared nervous".

"He was bouncing on his feet and was attempting to back away from me," he said. "I normally have a good rapport with Mr. Rawlins and I found it odd for him to be acting in this way."

The officer noticed a bulge in the front left pocket of Rawlins' baggy jeans shorts and radioed for a nearby unit to attend the scene, "just to have more officers present".

Sgt. Rollin said: "On arrival of another officer I placed my hand in the defendant's front left pocket, where I could feel a plastic bag. I removed the plastic bag and looked at its contents. I could see three large white block-like substances wrapped in clear plastic as well as two brown paper twists with a hard substance inside each of them.

"I showed them to the defendant and asked him what they were. He replied words to the effect, 'I forgot that was in there'."

Rawlins was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled drugs. Sgt Rollin said that as he cautioned him, the defendant said: "Hey man, that's not mine."

Rawlins, the driver and the car itself were taken to Somerset Police Station where a sniffer dog and officers searched it for further evidence.

"There was nothing else liable to seizure found," said Sgt. Rollin.

Police also carried out a search of Rawlins' home but no further substances were found. He was then taken to Southside Police Station where officers removed $255 in cash from his wallet and placed it into an evidence bag.

Following a Police interview, Sgt Rollin took the drugs in a sealed evidence bag to the Government analyst in Point Finger Road.

Defence lawyer Charles Richardson said the car had contained parts from a Honda Scoopy motorbike which Rawlins was taking to a garage to be sprayed.

He suggested to Sgt. Rollin that Rawlins' behaviour was akin to someone "under the influence of cocaine".

The officer replied: "Yes, but his eyes were not glazed over and after speaking with him further, once I suspected controlled drugs were found, he appeared extremely coherent and sober."

Mr. Richardson then claimed Rawlins had said: "I didn't know that was in there" rather than "I forgot that was in there", and that he had also said, "Man, that's crazy", rather than "Hey man, that's not mine".

Sgt. Rollin accepted this, telling the court: "Perhaps just a slight memory loss, I don't disagree with that."

Detective Sergeant Hayden Small of the Serious and Organised Crime Division then took the witness stand. He said: "The rocklike substances weighed 11.76 grams and were found to be the controlled drug cocaine freebase, which is referred to colloquially as crack."

He said a typical 0.16 gram twist had a street value of $50 on the Island.

"If the cocaine mentioned in this case was sold on the streets of Bermuda in rocks, each containing approximately 0.16 grams, it would have made 73 and five-tenth rocks, with an estimated street value of $3,675.

"This amount of drugs is not for one person's use, rather than for the purpose of sale or distribution," said Det. Sgt. Small.

However, Mr. Richardson said the quantity of drugs could have been packaged up as 'eight balls', which he described as a local term for cocaine weighing "about an eighth of an ounce".

Mr. Richardson said 'eight balls' sold for between $250-300, and that three of them "would come to about ten and a half grams".

He said that in this case, the remaining 1.26 grams found on the defendant, if divided into "two separate portions", would have resulted in about 0.6 grams of cocaine each.

Mr. Richardson said: "With respect to the three plastic packages and the two paper packages, I'm going to suggest to you that that is consistent with a package which contains three 'eight balls' and two rocks."

Det. Sgt. Small replied: "Yes, possibly."

Mr. Richardson said: "It is not unusual for a closet smoker who does not want anyone to know they are buying drugs to buy their supply in such denominations that would last them for a few days, so they don't have to make regular buying excursions."

Magistrate Juan Wolfe adjourned the case to September 15 due to time constraints. Bail for Rawlins was extended.