Gigi Hadid and friend fined over Cayman cannabis importation
American model Gigi Hadid, 28, and Leah McCarthy were arrested after their luggage was searched on arrival by private jet in the Cayman Islands on 10 July 2023. They pleaded guilty in the summary court two days later, were fined 1,000 Cayman Islands dollars and had no conviction recorded.
American model Gigi Hadid, 28, and her friend Leah McCarthy were detained in the
Cayman Islands after their luggage was searched when they arrived on a private
jet for a holiday on 10 July 2023.[1][2]The Cayman Islands Customs and Border
Control said the two were arrested for “the importation of marijuana and
importation of utensils used for the consumption of marijuana”.[1][2]The agency
said it was a small amount, seemingly for personal consumption.[1][2]
They were taken to a detention centre and released on bail, the local newspaper
Cayman Marl Road reported.[1]The pair appeared in the Cayman Islands summary
court two days later, where they were fined 1,000 Cayman Islands dollars
($1,200; £920).[1]They pleaded guilty in court and paid the fine, but no
conviction was recorded.[1][2]
Hadid’s representative said the marijuana was purchased legally in New York
“with a medical license”, and that medical use has also been legal in Grand
Cayman since 2017.[1][2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
2
Charged
2
Fine
KYD 1,000
Agency
Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control
Agency type
Customs, Court
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis
Activity
Smuggling
Setting
Airport
Charges
importation of marijuana; importation of utensils used for the consumption of marijuana
Case stage
Sentenced
Sentence
Fine
Region
Grand Cayman
Sources
BBC Newsbbc.comGigi Hadid arrested over drug possession in Cayman Islands
USA TODAYusatoday.comGigi Hadid arrested, released in Cayman Islands for marijuana: 'All's well that ends well'
Open questions the AI reported
No weight or street value was published for the marijuana; the agency described it only as a small amount, seemingly for personal consumption.
The BBC does not name the airport or terminal where the private jet arrived, so the place is given at island level.
The fine was 1,000 Cayman Islands dollars, which the BBC equates with $1,200 and £920; the structured figure records the local currency amount.
The case was not reported until 19 July 2023, eight days after the arrival and the court appearance.
Only one opened source, the BBC page, covers this event; local Cayman accounts were not accessible.
Former Customs and Border Control officer Edree Fisher was sentenced on 18 January 2023 to 18 months for conspiring to import ganja through Owen Roberts International Airport, half of it suspended, leaving nine months to serve. She was charged over 6.48 pounds found on a fifth smuggling attempt, and the judge said she abused her position to steer the drugs through customs.
Arrested 1Charged 1Prison 9 months, half of an 18-month term suspended
Toni Lee Danso, a Canadian visitor, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to importing 18 pounds of ganja through Owen Roberts International Airport. Customs and Border Control officers found 18 heat-sealed packages hidden under a false bottom in her suitcase after she arrived from Toronto on 10 February 2022.
Xavier Shane Watson and Malson Campbell were jailed for 30 and 28 months after pleading guilty to importing 810 pounds of ganja plus cannabis oil and resin by boat off Grand Cayman. Police intercepted the vessel 11.5 nautical miles out on 18 March 2019 and valued the ganja at CI$939,000.
Garfield Ainsley Spence, 24, was sentenced to six months in prison on Grand Cayman on 15 January 2019 after pleading guilty to importing six ounces of ganja into the Cayman Islands. A customs officer smelled the drug on him at the airport in October 2018 and found it in a heat-sealed bag in his backpack.
