ST JAMES, Jamaica – An American man was fined $250,000 or 30 days in jail in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday after being held with ammunition at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay in the parish.

Kamal Watt, a 25-year-old software engineer of Wilbert Street in the United States, pleaded guilty to unauthorised possession of ammunition before presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley.

In mitigation, Watt’s lawyer Henry McCurdy told the court that his client got married on August 19 and came to Jamaica for his honeymoon.

He pleaded with the judge to be lenient, stating that his client, a licenced firearm owner, who placed the bullets in a bag in his knapsack, but later forgot about it.

Smith-Ashley considered Watt’s early guilty plea and his previous good character, concluding that he appeared to be a productive member of society based on what his lawyer said in mitigation.

“Your lawyer also indicates that it was an oversight on your part, which has now cost you,” the judge added before imposing the fine.

She also directed that no fingerprints be taken from him.

According to police reports, at about 8:15 am, Watt arrived in Jamaica and while at the security point, his knapsack bag was scanned and the anomalies were detected.

A search was conducted and a bag containing twenty 9-millimetre cartridges was reportedly found.

When cautioned, Watt reportedly said, “Officer, I did not remember it; it was in the bag…It was an honest mistake.”