Magistrates' Court on drugs charges yesterday.

Rasheed Muhammad McMillan, 25, of Annapolis, Maryland, was a passenger in a vehicle travelling along North Shore Road, Devonshire on Saturday which was stopped by Police in a routine search.

Crown counsel Oonagh Goodred told Magistrate Ed King how plainclothes Police in an unmarked car stopped a Subaru car around 12.40 a.m. on Saturday.

They saw the front nearside passenger -- McMillan -- lean forward, reach out of the window and drop two objects to the ground.

The objects were one brown paper twist containing "plant-like material'' and the other was a plastic twist containing the same and a homemade cigarette.

When McMillan was shown the items he said: "That's not mine. I didn't throw nothing.'' He was taken into custody and driven to Hamilton Police Station.

Once there he broke free from the female Police officer and ran northward on Parliament Street before he was caught in front of the Hamilton Pharmacy.

Once inside the station McMillan told Police he was "Steve Jacobs, a tourist who didn't know his Bermuda address'', Ms Goodred said, adding that he signed his prisoner's rights form as Jacobs.

After he was extensively questioned between Saturday and early yesterday morning, McMillan's true identity was established.

Before being sentenced McMillan told Mr. King: "I'd just like to apologise for my actions. That night I was intoxicated and I made some bad choices.

"I've been coming down here all my life and I haven't been in any trouble,'' he added. "I want to apologise to my family and to the Court. I can guarantee that this will never happen again.'' McMillan has no previous convictions in Bermuda, Ms Goodred added. He pleaded guilty to possessing 3.27 grams of cannabis and obstructing a Police officer while she was doing her duty.

Mr. King fined McMillan $500 for possessing the cannabis and gave him a conditional discharge for 12 months for obstruction. McMillan indicated the fine would be paid immediately.

A third charge of escaping lawful custody was dropped by Ms Goodred.

McMillan had originally appeared in the morning Plea Court session but once Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner learned he was a tourist he sent the case to Mr. King's court for immediate trial.

Mr. Warner quipped at his resourcefullness: "That's summary justice at its best! I'll give instructions for him to do this trial immediately.''