A DRUG importer who claimed the powder he bought over the internet was a fertiliser for bonsai trees has been sent to prison for six-and-a-half years.

Dean Hardy, 34, had denied the importation of 99.95g of the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-122 in June, but he was found guilty after a five-day trial in December.

Sentencing Hardy, pictured, in the Royal Court yesterday, Judge Russell Finch said people who committed such crimes needed to receive deterrent sentences.

‘This was a significant importation of a high amount in local terms,’ said Judge Finch. ‘You tried to wriggle out of it, but the evidence was too strong.’

Advocate Alan Merrien, representing Hardy, said his client still maintained his innocence.