Inniss, 24, of 130 Lamaha Springs was also fined $10,000 by Senior Magistrate Maxwell Edwards.

Inniss had been jointly charged with trafficking narcotics and conspiracy to traffic in narcotics. But he has only been sentenced on the first charge as the state prosecution withdrew the conspiracy charge against both him and the other accused, Shandy Stephens.

Inniss changed his plea to the summary charge of trafficking in narcotics following advice from defence counsel Vic Puran. Stephens, who only faced the indictable charge of conspiracy to traffic in narcotics, is now a free man following the withdrawal of the charges by State counsel, Paula Gilford and Simone Bullen. The preliminary inquiry (PI) into the matter against the ex-soldiers has been going on for months at Court 9 in the Maraj building. Inniss, Stephens and another man, Errol Wilburg had been dismissed from the army following the discovery of 133 pounds of marijuana on the army's flagship on May 14, 2003.

The drugs had been found on board the vessel after it had docked in Barbados to participate in the Trade Winds Exercise.

All three men were implicated in the drug bust. It was alleged Inniss approached Wilburg and Stephens offering them money to ship the marijuana to Barbados.

Inniss, who was Absent Without Leave (AWOL) at the time, was said to have been intercepted by the ship's security after he breached port security and boarded the flagship when it was in Barbados.

Once caught, Inniss, who was an Able Ratings rank, was court-martialled and thrown out of the force. He was handed over to police for civil prosecution on July 15.

Ordinary Ratings Stephens and Wilburg were both tried summarily by the GDF and were found guilty. They were reduced in rank and dishonorably discharged as a consequence.

The PI did not involve Wilburg. Stephens was recently placed on $75,000 bail on January 27.