Possession of cannabis caught up with an American visitor in Magistrates' Court yesterday as he was fined all the money he claimed to have for his trip to Bermuda - $100.

Cruise ship passenger Steven Goldberg, 48, of Ashley, New York told Magistrate Will Francis that he had come to Bermuda hoping to find a job at Blackbeard's in St. George's as a chef.

Before Mr. Francis sentenced him, Goldberg, nervous and shaking, said: "I am willing to do anything you want. Can't I do some community service? I'll go behind a garbage truck, sweep the streets, wash dishes..."

He said he only had just over $100, all of his family was dead, he had never owned a credit card, could not borrow money from anyone and did not have a bank account back in New York.

He said he had been unable to find work for the past three years due to an injury from a traffic accident. But Mr. Francis said: "I fail to believe someone who took a cruise here could fail to get $500 or $600."

Mr. Francis rejected jail time which would "do no good for anyone".

On Monday, Goldberg was caught with 5.21 grams of cannabis as he left the Horizon at Penno's Wharf in St. George's. On his arrest he said repeatedly to Police: "It's only pot."

They found drug paraphernalia in his cabin.

Goldberg, a three-time visitor to Bermuda, will not be allowed to return to the Island after he departs today, Mr. Francis said.