An American tourist was yesterday sentenced to 30 days in prison after admitting to importing 30.29 grams of cannabis for her personal use.

At Magistrates' Court, a tearful and remorseful Kristin Rose Harris, 25, begged for the court's mercy, after pleading guilty to importing the drug on October 11, 2007, but pleaded not guilty to having it with intent to supply.

Senior Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney said Harris, of New York and employed as a dispatcher, was selected by Customs officers for a secondary search upon her arrival at LF Wade International Airport.

She was travelling here with her boyfriend, to attend a wedding. A drug-sniffing dog had been drawn to her once she collected her luggage in the arrival hall. When officers asked her if she had any drugs in her possession she told them no.

However, an inspection of her suitcase yielded a plastic ziplock bag containing a green, plantlike substance inside a pair of ladies jeans.

Additionally, a second ziplock bag containing the same was discovered in another pair of pants, which was wrapped inside a white drier sheet.

Finally, she admitted to officers the substance was cannabis, which she said she intended to smoke.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner did not buy Harris' claim she had the drug only for her personal use. Mr. Warner called the quantity of cannabis "trafficable" and one that warranted an immediate custodial sentence.

Duty counsel Leo Mills asked Mr. Warner for leniency in his sentence, describing Harris' actions as "ignorant".

Mr. Mills said: "One would hope that the court would recognise that she's not from Bermuda, perhaps ignorant... In some jurisdictions, having this sort of drug would attract a fine." He asked Mr. Warner to issue a suspended prison sentence.

Harris sobbed uncontrollably while addressing Mr. Warner, saying: "I never meant to disrespect your country, it was only meant to smoke for myself. I'm truly sorry, it was completely stupid on my part. I'm ready to face whatever you give me. The amount of marijuana seems like so much, but it was only for myself."

Taking into consideration Harris' remorse and guilty plea, Mr. Warner cited the fact that she initially lied to Customs officers about having the cannabis, showing she was a smuggler while knowing that importing cannabis into Bermuda was illegal.

"The amount in this case is very serious and in general people are not sent to jail in Bermuda for a small amount of marijuana," Mr. Warner deliberated. "However, a prison term should continue to be a deterrent and that includes tourists too. Bermuda cannot market itself as a haven to import and use illegal drugs – that would be immoral."

He sentenced her to 30 days in prison to begin immediately. An emotionally shocked Harris had to be calmed by her boyfriend and court officials before being hauled away to jail.