The ammo was found in his luggage at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James.
A United States dentist was spared prison time and handed a $130,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to having 16 rounds of ammunition in his luggage at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James.
Jonathan Stockton, a 39-year-old resident of New York, US, pleaded guilty to unauthorised possession of ammunition.
Prior to the sentence being delivered by a St James Parish Court judge on Thursday, the American’s attorney argued that he is the holder of a firearm licence in the US, and it was the first time bullets were being found in his bag.
The attorney also pointed to his client having no previous conviction and pleaded with the judge to be lenient in passing a sentence on the American.
The judge seemingly acceded to the request, and handed down the $130,000 fine or the alternative of 30 days in prison, if the sum is not paid.
Reports are that about 12:35 pm on Tuesday, March 7, Stockton’s knapsack was flagged after passing through an X-ray machine at the airport.
After insisting that he had nothing to declare, the bag was searched and 16 live 9-millimetre rounds of ammunition were discovered inside a small zipper pocket on the outside of the bag.
Stockton was subsequently arrested and charged, with him denying knowledge of how the bullets got inside the bag.
