ST JAMES, Jamaica- An American dentist was fined $130,000 in the St James Parish Court on Thursday after being arrested at Sangster International Airport for having bullets in his luggage.

Jonathan Stockton, 39, from New York, appeared before presiding parish judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley and pleaded guilty to unauthorised possession of ammunition.

According to court documents, on March 7 about 12:35 pm, Stockton was on his way out of the island when abnormalities were detected in his luggage.

A black knapsack was released from the x-ray machine, which Stockton identified as his and admitted ownership of the bag and its contents.

When asked if he had anything in the bag to declare, he said “no.”

The bag was searched in his presence, and 16 live 9-millimetre Luger rounds were discovered inside a small zipper pocket on the outside of the bag. Stockton then informed the officer that he was the holder of a New York firearm permit.

He was informed of the offence and when cautioned, he reportedly said, “I don’t know how it got there as I have been travelling with this bag for a while in the States, but I have a permit.”

He was subsequently arrested and charged.

Stockton’s attorney, Henry McCurdy stated that he travelled to Jamaica for vacation with his wife and three children, all of whom were traumatised by the incident.

“Dr Stockton has travelled all over the world with this bag, and it’s the first time that bullets were found in the bag,” McCurdy added.

The lawyer also stated that he has no previous convictions, is of good character, and operates a successful dental practice in his homeland.

McCurdy then presented his client’s dentistry permit and firearm licence to the court, pleading with the judge to be lenient.

After hearing from the attorney, Smith-Ashley stated that, while the offence for which he was charged was serious, she would take into account his early guilty plea, the documents submitted, and the fact that he has no prior convictions.

The judge then fined him $130,000 or 30 days in jail and ordered that his fingerprints not be taken.