A vacation in Brazil turned into a nightmare for an airline worker from Lynn, Massachusetts.
On Brazilian soil, Yeremi Cuevas Tolentino had no problems. But when he made a connection in Toronto to travel back to Boston, Canadian authorities put him in custody, alleging he had cocaine inside a shampoo bottle.
"I was terrified, I was afraid, I didn't really know what was going to happen," he said. "I didn't know what was going to happen with my family. I wasn't sure if they were lying."
Cuevas Tolentino was detained five days, from April 9-14, at Ontario's Mapple-Hurst Correctional Facility. He says he got little clarity on the charges against him or how the process would move forward.
"It was very difficult. I saw a lot of things I don't wish anyone to see," Cuevas Tolentino said.
During that time, Cuevas Tolentino says his family in Massachusetts was desperately looking for him, and that the jail did not allow them to communicate with him directly.
Due to the lack of space, he says the inmates with whom he was locked up were forced to share bunks. He said that frequent fighting, including a stabbing, prevented the inmates from being allowed out to make phone calls or shower.
Cuevas Tolentino said he was informed he could face 15-20 years behind bars.
The truth would soon be revealed after pleading with authorities for additional testing on the alleged cocaine, he recalled.
"This is not what you think it is. I'm not this guy. I work for [an] airline, this is my life, this is what I do," Cuevas Tolentino said. "Look at my history."
On April 11, Cuevas Tolentino's shampoo bottles were sent to Health Canada for additional drug testing. The results arrived two days later, confirming the shampoo contained no illegal substances.
Canadian authorities arrived at the jail on April 14 to deliver the news that the charges against him would be dropped, and that he would be released later that evening. The following day, he was able to fly home after spending about $1,000 of his own money for a last-minute plane ticket.
"For their mistake — for their mistake — they didn't even apologize to me," he said. "They didn't even explain what happened. They haven't even contacted me since."
Canadian officials asked about the case by CTV News Toronto confirmed Cuevas Tolentino was held but didn't give further comment.
