BUFFETT CAUGHT WITH CLUB DRUG

October 6, 2006 -- FORGET Margaritaville - French authorities reportedly seized more than 100 tabs of club drug "ecstasy" from Jimmy Buffett's luggage this week. The Grammy-winning singer got into trouble when he flew into Toulon-Hyères International Airport in the South of France on a rented private jet and customs  officials started poking around in his suitcases. According to local press reports, they uncovered more than 100 tablets of the mind-bending substance.  Buffett, who was on his way to chill out in the ritzy resort town of St.Tropez, was detained, but not arrested, and allowed to go free after paying a fine of 300 euros - about $380. That prompted one local newspaper editorial to term the slap-on-the-wrist punishment "a small amount for a man who makes $70 million a year."  A spokeswoman for Buffett - whose hits include "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "Why Don't We Get Drunk" - denied he'd had any ecstasy in the luggage. The rep  insisted, "It was medicine prescribed by his doctor." But she wouldn't name the  medicine or what ailment Buffett was using it for. She also refused to comment  on why, if the substance was legally prescribed, Buffett agreed to pay the fine. "I don't have any additional information," the flak said. Asked to contact Buffett to ask him about the incident, she said, "It's not going to be possible." She also insisted the cops seized only 20 tablets, not the reported 100-plus.  Regardless, Buffett was lucky his alleged stash wasn't discovered in the United States, where a conviction can lead to a prison sentence and fines of up to $100,000. But the singer has had bad luck involving narcotics in the past. Ten years ago, a boat he and Bono were on near the coast of Jamaica was fired on by police who mistook them for drug traffickers.  Meanwhile, the crooner, 59, a distant relative of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, will release his newest album, "Take the Weather With  You," next week. Last month, he did a fund-raiser for Kinky Friedman's  Texas gubernatorial campaign.