FILE – Gigi Hadid poses for photographers at the premiere of the film ‘Firebrand’ at the 76th international film festival in Cannes, France, May 21, 2023. Hadid and a friend are on vacation in the Cayman Islands after the Customs and Border Control said on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 that they arrested the two for marijuana possession and later released them. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

From Caribbean Life

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — American model Gigi Hadid and a friend went ahead with a vacation in the Cayman Islands after local authorities arrested the pair for marijuana possession and later released them.

Hadid, who arrived on a private aircraft from the U.S., was arrested after Customs and Border Control agents searched her luggage and found a small amount of cannabis, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.

Officials identified her as Jelena Noura Hadid, which is the 28-year-old model’s legal name.

Hadid and her friend arrived in the Cayman Islands on July 10 and pleaded guilty on July 12 to importing a controlled drug and a drug utensil. They were fined more than $1,200, with no conviction recorded, authorities said.

“All’s well that ends well,” Hadid posted Tuesday on Instagram, along with a photo of her and a friend at the beach.

A representative told The Associated Press that Hadid had bought the marijuana legally in New York City with a medical license, and that her record remains clear.

The Cayman Islands legalized medical marijuana in May 2017, but recreational use remains illegal. Local laws dictate a prison sentence of up to a year and/or a fine for possession of up to 12 grams of marijuana for a first offense.

For more on this story go to: Caribbean Life

See also iEyeNews story “Cayman Islands’ Customs & Border Control confirms arrests“