HAMILTON, Bermuda, Sep 4, CMC – A magistrate has given a United States national until the end of this week to pay a fine of US$4,500 after he admitted bringing drugs worth an estimated US$4,000 into the country.
Magistrate Tyrone Chin imposed the fine on Robert Alexander, 42, who pleaded guilty to the importation of MDMA, the importation of cannabis and the importation of PCP, a hallucinogen known by the street name angel dust.
He also pleaded guilty to possession of each of those drugs and was remanded into custody until the fine is fully paid.
The court heard that Alexander was aboard a Carnival Cruise ship from New York that landed in Dockyard last Thursday and after going through a compliance check with Customs officers he left the boat and denied having any drugs on him when questioned.
But when asked to empty his pockets, he hesitated before co-operating. On a further search, the authorities found a small bag filled with plantlike material, which Alexader later admitted was cannabis.
He was asked to further empty his pockets, but on doing so, pulled ot a blue pill and put it into his mouth. He refused to spit the pill out when pressed by Customs officers and attempted to slip the bag of plant matter back into his pocket.
Officers later searched his cabin, where they found another bag of plantlike matter, as well as a bag of blue crystalline matter and a bag of white powder.
The items were seized and tested, which revealed them to be 8.85g of cannabis, 21 and a half tablets of MDMA and mixed quantities of PCP.
The prosecution said that the amount of drugs was enough to warrant an intent to supply, but added that it all appeared to be for personal use. The prosecutor said that the drugs would have had a combined street value of about US$4,450 and that Alexander should be made to pay the same amount.
CMC/af/ir/2024