Wrongfully Detained Abroad: Help us Rebuild

Falsely accused abroad. 100 days trapped. Help us recover from the emotional and financial toll of this nightmare.

Our names are Cassandra (Sandy) and Zach, and we are a Canadian couple from St. Catharine’s reaching out with heavy hearts to share a traumatic story – and ask for your help as we recover financially, emotionally and mentally.

What Happened

In March 2025, we were excited to take our very first vacation together to Punta Cana. What should’ve been a joyful and relaxing trip turned into the most terrifying experience of our lives.

As we prepared to take off on our flight home to Toronto, we were suddenly pulled from the plane, taken back to immigration at the airport to be detained, and told we were under arrest — accused of smuggling drugs into the Dominican Republic.

We were blindsided — innocent, confused, and terrified. Without warning, we were thrown into a foreign legal system for something we did not do.

The Flimsy Evidence That Changed Our Lives

We were shocked, completely blindsided. The authorities claimed that a suitcase full of narcotics found at the Punta Cana airport was linked to one of us, based solely on a partial name match from a luggage tag. That was the only connection — and yet it was enough to trigger a full criminal investigation and place us both under arrest.

That moment shattered our lives.

100 Days Trapped Abroad, Fighting for Our Freedom

After our arrest, we were taken to prison, where we spent the next few days behind bars before being released on bail. Those days were the most terrifying moments of our lives — trapped in a foreign prison system, not understanding the language, and not knowing what was going to happen to us.

Once released, for the next 100 agonizing days, we were placed under a travel ban, unable to leave the Dominican Republic while fighting desperately to clear our names.

We had no roadmap. No resources beyond our cell phones. No ability to speak Spanish beyond what Google Translate could provide. Every conversation with lawyers, government officials, and authorities was an uphill battle filled with fear, frustration, and confusion.

We waited helplessly for crucial evidence from both Pearson Airport in Toronto and Punta Cana Airport to prove that the luggage was not ours — evidence that eventually proved our innocence but came at a devastating cost.

The Toll on Our Lives

While the emotional trauma was beyond words, the financial devastation has been just as overwhelming.

Here’s what this nightmare has cost us:

• We both lost wages from our jobs.

• We drained our line of credit and maxed out credit cards to pay for lawyer fees, bail, accommodations, and utilities back home.

• We paid for three months of boarding for our young dog, who was left behind while we were stuck abroad.

• The constant fear of losing my nursing license over these false accusations

• We received no financial assistance from either the Dominican or Canadian governments while detained.

• We were forced to pay immigration fees just to be allowed to leave the country.

• We missed irreplaceable time with our families — including the heartbreaking loss of loved ones while we were trapped.

• We are now left with enormous legal debt and emotional scars.

• On top of everything, we had to remortgage our home just to survive.

Why We Are Asking for Help

We are finally home in Canada. The charges have been dropped. We are innocent.

But we are left picking up the pieces — emotionally, mentally, and financially.

We are asking for help to cover:

• Ongoing legal debt

• The financial losses from being detained abroad

• Basic living expenses while we try to rebuild our lives

Any donation — no matter how small — will make an incredible difference. And if you’re unable to donate, simply sharing our story helps more than you know.

This Could Happen to Anyone

We’re sharing this not just to ask for help but to also raise awareness, because this could happen to anyone, anywhere – and it happened to us. One moment, everything felt normal. Then the next our world turned upside down.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s how critical it is to know your rights, understand the risks, and be aware of what little protections exist when you’re abroad. We hope that by sharing our story, others will be better prepared than we were.

Thank You

We want to express our sincere gratitude to the Canadian Embassy in the Dominican Republic for the support they were able to provide.

To our friends and family — your love, check-ins, and constant encouragement were what kept us going during the darkest days of our lives. We are forever grateful.

And to every single person reading this — thank you for caring, for sharing, for donating, or simply for offering us your compassion. Your kindness truly means more than we can ever express.

❤️ Thank you,

Cassandra and Zach