A cruise ship passenger was fined $6,000 in Magistrates 'Court for drug importation.

Michael Alicea, of New Jersey, pleaded guilty yesterday to importing the controlled drugs cannabis and methamphetamine on October 30.

The court heard from Crown counsel Nicole Smith, that Alicea was a passenger aboard the Norwegian Crown, berthed at Penno's Wharf, St. George's.

Officers on board the ship smelled a strong smell of marijuana coming from a room on deck eight.

The cabin was under the name Alicea. The officers knocked on the door and asked the defendant if he had illegal drugs.

Alicea told them he had weed in his drawer.

When officers checked the drawer, they found a plastic bag with plantlike material and a few partially smoked homemade cigarettes.

While searching the rest of the room, the officers found two small plastic bags inside two medicine bottles with white crystal powder and two small straws with white crystal powder residue.

Alicea said he didn't know the white powder was there, but took responsibility for it.

The drugs were taken to the Government analyst and after testing, it was said to be 2.64 grams of cannabis and 1.18 grams of methamphetamine.

The defendant told the court: "The marijuana was for my personal use. The meth, I did not know it was in that jar. I'm sorry for bringing it into this country. I'm sorry for blemishing myself and my fiancé".

Alicea said he felt even worse because the Police officers had been so nice during the ordeal.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner told him he should be glad he's not sending him to West Gate Correctional Facility and fined him $2,000 for the cannabis and $4,000 for the methamphetamine.