Tourist Fined For Importing THC Gummies Through Cayman Airport

By Alric Lindsay

Holly Michelle Kiper appeared in the Summary Court today, July 20, 2026, to face one charge of importation of a controlled drug in the form of five THC-infused gummies.  Kiper was granted an absolute discharge, with no conviction recorded, after the Chief Magistrate accepted that both the harm caused and her culpability were low, though she was ordered to pay costs of $3,342.75 or face three months in default.

Outlining the facts, Crown Counsel from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said Kiper arrived at the airport from Miami on July 14, having originally travelled from Louisville, Kentucky. 

The court heard that once Kiper realised the products were not legally permitted in the Cayman Islands, tried to dispose of them, which was said to demonstrate her awareness that what she held was prohibited.

Reportedly, when Kiper was interviewed, she explained that she had a rib injury and had been using CBD gummies recommended by a doctor for personal medical use.  She added that she visited the Cayman Islands roughly six years earlier on a cruise without ever being made aware that such products were unlawful here.

A certificate of analysis was produced, and DPP Crown Counsel said the total cost of testing came to $3,342.75, for which it sought an order for costs, together with an order for forfeiture and destruction of the gummies.

The court also heard that other medication found in Kiper’s bag, including ibuprofen, Tylenol and a muscle relaxant, had been tested alongside the gummies.  The reason for testing them was because they were reportedly stored loosely and their contents could not otherwise have been identified.

Arguing on Kiper’s behalf, defence attorney Lee Halliday-Davis explained that Kiper had suffered a fall through a deck some three weeks before travelling, causing a suspected rib fracture, and that the resulting trauma was thought to have triggered shingles. A letter from a doctor at Bluegrass Family Wellness was produced, stating that Kiper was undergoing treatment for rib pain and benefited from the use of gummies, asking that she be allowed to continue her treatment.

Defence counsel submitted that the use was short-term and medical in nature, arising from a recent injury rather than any established pattern of use.

Defence counsel asked the court not to record a conviction, submitting that a conviction for importation of drugs would clearly damage Kiper’s ability to continue working as a financial advisor.

In passing sentence, the Chief Magistrate accepted that the gummies were for medical use, that the quantity was small, and that the use was for a short-term injury rather than long-term recreational purposes.  

Taking into account the early guilty plea, the Chief Magistrate found extenuating circumstances justifying that no conviction be recorded, and imposed an absolute discharge.

Kiper was ordered to pay costs to the Crown of $3,342.75, or serve three months in default.

The gummies were ordered forfeited and destroyed.