The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

AN American tourist has accused Bahamian immigration authorities of holding her in “inhumane” conditions after she was arrested for marijuana possession during a cruise stop in Grand Bahama.

The woman, who shared her experience on TikTok under the account name Shay Peezy, claimed she was detained in an overcrowded facility infested with rats, where detainees endured oppressive heat and inadequate sleeping arrangements.

She also alleged she spent thousands of dollars on fines, flights and emergency travel documents before returning to the United States.

However, Immigration Director Stephen Laroda said the woman remained in immigration custody following her criminal conviction because she had entered The Bahamas without a passport and could not return to her cruise ship.

He said officials had to arrange her travel to Nassau so she could obtain emergency travel documents from the US Embassy.

The woman said she and her boyfriend had travelled aboard a Carnival cruise using her identification card and birth certificate rather than passports. Mr Laroda noted that some cruise ships operate under an agreement allowing US citizens to travel without passports.

According to her account, the trouble began when the couple disembarked in Freeport and joined another couple in arranging a taxi to purchase marijuana.

She claimed the driver handled the transaction and passengers never left the vehicle to buy the drugs themselves.

However, she was stopped at a security checkpoint at Celebration Key, where officers discovered marijuana in her bag.

The woman estimated the amount was slightly more than seven grams. She said officers told her marijuana was illegal in The Bahamas, regardless of the quantity.

Authorities subsequently searched the couple’s cruise cabin but reportedly found nothing else.

She said she initially expected to post bail, pay a fine and arrange a flight home.

Her boyfriend was not detained and offered to remain with her at a hotel, but she said he was told the US Embassy would not accommodate him.

Instead, she spent the night in police custody in Freeport, where she claimed she could not make international calls and had little more than a narrow concrete slab on which to sleep.

She eventually appeared in court without a lawyer after being advised that securing legal representation could delay proceedings for several days.

She pleaded guilty and paid a $500 fine rather than face what she understood could be a two-month prison sentence.

However, she said her ordeal continued after the court proceedings.

She was instructed to purchase an airline ticket from Freeport to Nassau, believing she was being taken to the US Embassy to obtain travel documents.

Instead, she said, she was handed over to immigration officers and taken for immigration processing.

She described the detention centre as a large dormitory, claiming it housed approximately 35 Haitian nationals, 25 Chinese nationals and several other foreign nationals, including herself as the only American.

She alleged there was no air conditioning, large rats ran through the facility and some detainees had to sleep on the floor because of inadequate arrangements.

She also complained about food distribution, claiming meals were handed out in buckets and detainees had to compete to obtain portions.

“It’s also no air conditioning, so they just got all the doors to the dorm open and all the windows open,” she said.

“That place is terrible,” she added.

The woman eventually obtained passport photographs and completed the necessary paperwork through the US Embassy, paying for an expedited emergency passport.

She subsequently purchased a flight to Miami, with immigration officers escorting her through the airport and accompanying her to her departing flight.

She said her expenses exceeded $1,000, in addition to the $500 fine imposed by Carnival, although she later described the overall cost of the ordeal as thousands of dollars.

She said she was speaking publicly to warn other visitors rather than seek sympathy or financial assistance.

“I don’t need y’all to feel sorry for me because it already happened. I’ve spent thousands of dollars to get back home,” she said.

“I’m strictly doing this because what the f*** is going on over there is wrong. It’s inhumane, and I genuinely don’t think it’s legal.”

Responding, Mr Laroda said the woman had to travel to Nassau because she did not have a passport and could not return to her cruise ship.

Although she had paid her court fine, he said, she remained in the custody of the Department of Immigration following her conviction and was not free to move around the country.

Immigration officials facilitated the process of obtaining her emergency travel documents while she remained in custody, he said, adding that the arrangements could not be completed within 30 minutes.

Mr Laroda said people subject to removal from The Bahamas are generally responsible for their own travel expenses and that the US Embassy is not ordinarily obligated to provide airfare or financial assistance.

He noted that the Government spends more than $2m annually on removing people from the country.

Addressing complaints about detention centre conditions, Mr Laroda said the department has an ongoing programme to improve its facilities.

He also suggested detainees contributed to the challenges by damaging the premises.

“The persons that we have in custody, they’re not happy to be in custody. As much as possible, they try to cause as much chaos and mayhem and destruction,” he said.

“When they move from the detention centre, they’re not cleaning the place up before they leave. They’re doing as much chaos and destruction as they can before they leave.”