Stiven Tangarife Caicedo, known on social media as Mr. Stiven, recently shared a surprising story about his detention in the Bahamas during a cruise trip.
According to the content creator's live broadcast on the Kick platform, the incident occurred while he was enjoying a vacation with his girlfriend, influencer and businesswoman Mariana Zapata, who had gifted him the trip to celebrate their relationship.
"It's incredible how you can be having the best days of your life and, out of nowhere, they become the worst days of your life... It's a situation I never thought would happen. For those who don't know, I was on a cruise, a cruise that departed from the United States, from Miami, and was heading to different islands. On one particular island, something happened to me that I never thought would happen in my life... The things I experienced in the last 24 hours were horrible. I went through situations that I never, ever in my life thought I would go through," the content creator said.
The incident occurred on the third day of the cruise when the couple arrived in the Bahamas. According to Mr. Stiven, a follower recognized him and, in a gesture of kindness, offered him marijuana. Although the influencer admitted he had reduced his consumption, he accepted the gift and began smoking. Minutes later, he was intercepted by three police patrols who arrested him.
"Entering the island, someone recognized me. It was a follower... But he, with good intentions, offered me weed, offered me marijuana... Three police patrols arrived, as if I were the worst criminal in history, and they arrested me. They arrested me because marijuana here in the Bahamas is illegal, and I didn't know," he said.
During his account, Mr. Stiven expressed that he was unaware of the local marijuana laws and took full responsibility to prevent his girlfriend and companions from being detained. Despite his willingness to cooperate, the influencer was handcuffed and taken to a narcotics police station, where he was treated as if he were involved in drug trafficking.
"I took responsibility for my actions and said that the marijuana was mine and that I was the one consuming it... I was the only one smoking. It was unfair for everyone to be arrested because of me. I took responsibility for my actions, and they arrested me," he said.
According to his testimony, he was held in a deplorable cell, surrounded by rats and without access to basic amenities like a bed or bathroom. He also mentioned that the extreme cold from the air conditioning worsened his discomfort. He highlighted the difficulty in communicating with the authorities due to his lack of English. This, combined with the prejudices he faced for being Colombian, further complicated his situation.
"They put me in a cell. When I entered, there were hundreds of rats, there was no bathroom, no bed, nothing. It was just a square. And I was lying there on the floor, next to the rats... It smelled like urine, it smelled like shit, there were rats everywhere. It was freezing... The air conditioning was exaggerated. They made it freezing cold to freeze the prisoners, and I was one of the people who froze there. I left there in bad shape," he recounted.
The help of his manager and a music producer was crucial in resolving his case in the Bahamas. According to him, he managed to make two calls from the police station: one to his girlfriend and another to his manager, Carlos, who contacted the music producer known as "El High." The latter mobilized resources to help Mr. Stiven, including hiring a lawyer.
The lawyer presented the case to the judge, arguing that the marijuana found in the streamer's possession was for personal use and not for distribution. Thanks to this defense, the judge decided to impose a fine instead of a prolonged prison sentence. According to him, the fine was approximately $3,000, which the lawyer paid.
After his release, Mr. Stiven expressed deep gratitude to those who helped him, especially the lawyer and El High, whom he called "guardian angels." He also reflected on the consequences of his actions and the impact it had on his relationship with Mariana Zapata: "I felt very sorry for everything that happened. She gave me that with a lot of love, but me being locked up there and knowing that because of me everything was ruined. That's what made me the saddest. It wasn't the fact of being locked up in that hell, it was knowing that I had ruined something so beautiful that they had done for me."
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