Court Holds Onto Passport Of International Student Over Gummy Importation While Further Information Is Gathered For Sentencing.

By Alric Lindsay

An international student visiting the Cayman Islands has had her passport confiscated after border officials intercepted what is understood to be cannabis-infused gummies in her luggage. The matter was adjourned to November 2, 2026, when pleas are expected.

When Shantel Shani Guzman appeared in the Summary Court today, October 21, 2026, facing a criminal charge sheet of importing cannabinoid derivatives, duty counsel Amelia Fosuhene explained to the court that Guzman is a non-Caymanian student currently enrolled in an educational programme abroad who was only visiting the islands for a short vacation lasting a few months.

Fosuhene raised an immediate medical defence on behalf of the young student, explaining to Chief Magistrate Hernandez that Guzman has a highly significant and complex medical history. The defence asked for this history to be considered before sentencing.

Chief Magistrate Hernandez ordered the case adjourned until November 2, 2026, to allow the defence time to review the prosecution’s evidence bundle before entering formal pleas. While Guzman remains on bail, her passport is being held by the court in the interim, legally grounding the foreign student in the jurisdiction and preventing her departure from the Cayman Islands.