A New Jersey man was fined $16,000 after he offered to pay off a customs officer who found drugs on him.

Paul Rodrigues, who is understood to be a prison guard in the United States, admitted having a quantity of tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient of cannabis, destroying evidence and attempting to bribe a customs officer in Magistrates’ Court on June 28.

The cruise ship passenger was arrested on June 26 in Sandys after the drugs were discovered.

The court heard that Rodrigues asked a temporary customs officer to discard the drugs found on him, and said: “I’ll even splash you some cash.”

He was also able to destroy a quantity of “lemon lightning” vaporiser cartridges by pulling them from a sealed evidence bag and flushing them down the toilet.

Senior magistrate Juan Wolffe fined Rodrigues $10,000 for attempting to bribe a customs officer and another $5,000 for his attempt to destroy evidence.

He additionally was fined $1,000 for the importation of a controlled drug.

Mr Wolffe ordered Rodrigues to pay the full fine before he is able to leave the island.

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers.