An American lawyer who was caught smuggling bullets into the Island was fined $2,500 in Magistrates' Court last Friday.

Douglas Bates, 56, of New York arrived in Bermuda from Philadelphia on Thursday, May 6, at 2 p.m., Crown counsel Shakira Dill said.

She told the court that the two 12-gauge cartridges he was carrying were discovered when his luggage was examined in Customs.

Bates was asked whether he had a licence for them.

He said he did not have licence and had forgotten (the bullets) were in the bag from his last hunting trip ? last fall.

Bates told Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves he did not know the bullets were in the shaving case as he only takes it on vacations.

Mr. Greaves said he was thinking about what would have happened to Bates, if he went through a US airport, with two bullets in his bag.

"Lord have mercy," Bates replied. "I'd be in Guant?namo Bay. I'd be in real trouble. Everybody's scared. Pacifying prisoners. Can't fly in peace."

"Police officers must have checked your background," Mr. Greaves said.

"I'm an attorney," Bates said.

To which Mr. Greaves noted: "Bin Laden was an attorney, too."

Mr. Greaves said, "in regard to world affairs in these days", he thought a prison sentence would normally be warranted, but he accepted Bates' explanation.

"Police have provided me with no information suggesting this was other than a careless mistake," Mr. Greaves said.

He fined Bates $2,500 ? not the maximum fine of $5,000 as suggested by Ms Dill ? which Bates had to pay immediately or spend six months in prison.

"You would not get off this lightly if you were in the US," Mr. Greaves said.

"(They would) interrogate you for two weeks, deprive you of sleep ? picture all over CNN, CBS ? growing a beard, looking vexed.

"The world has gone real, real serious."