The Strokes guitarist ALBERT HAMMOND faced a harrowing drug search while on holiday in Bermuda, after customs guards found traces of cocaine in his luggage.

The rocker and his girlfriend were searched upon their arrival - and even sniffer dogs were brought in to make sure the couple were clean.

A shocked Hammond recalls, "I never bring anything like that on vacation. But they start swabbing my stuff, and they were like, 'We found traces of coke in your bag.'

"Then they started swabbing my girlfriend's purse. It took them an hour and a half to do all this, and we even had the drug dog come out and sniff us.

"Why would I bring coke on a holiday? Grass, maybe. But coke on a holiday? That would be terrible."

30/10/2003 21:14