A St Andrew businessman who was arrested in 2007 in connection with the seizure of more than $1 billion worth of ganja has pleaded guilty.

Douglas Wayne Brown, otherwise called Douglas Christopher Maragh, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges on Tuesday before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court.

Brown, a resident of Summit Heights in upper St Andrew, was arrested more than two years ago.

Investigators from the narcotics police reported that an operation was conducted along Mountain View Avenue, east Kingston, in January 2007 and three buses loaded with more than a thousand boxes containing the drug was seized. Hash oil was also said to be in the boxes.

The drugs reportedly weighed more than 5,443 kg (12,000lb) and had a street value of US$18 million or $1.6 billion Jamaican dollars.

Brown was nabbed some three months after the seizure. He is to be sentenced on December 3.