An American tourist facing the possibility of a mandatory 15-year prison sentence in Jamaica after two loaded ammunition magazines were allegedly found in his luggage is hoping his explanation will work in his favour when he returns to court.

Igor Andrusceak, of Athens, Georgia, was on a family vacation in Jamaica with his wife and three children when the ammunition was reportedly discovered at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on July 28.

The two magazines reportedly contained 15 rounds each.