Six American Cruise Passengers Fined $52,725 After Nassau Brawl Injures Four Police Officers

A fight that started in a crowded cruise terminal turned into one of the most expensive vacation mistakes imaginable for six American tourists — and four Bahamian police officers ended up paying the physical price.

The six passengers, all from Colorado, were fined a combined $52,725 by a Bahamian court after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a brawl that began at the Nassau Cruise Port and escalated dramatically once they reached the local police station.

How It Started

The incident began just after 4:45 p.m. on Monday, June 8, 2026, in the Nassau Cruise Terminal — peak time for guests returning to their ships as the port grows crowded with passengers heading back aboard. Authorities have not released what triggered the initial fight, and it remains unclear whether the confrontation at the terminal was a continuation of an earlier dispute among the group or with other parties.

What is documented is who was involved. According to The Tribune, the six tourists range in age from 19 to 50: Jaeyln Duran, 19; Andrew Tapia, 21; Daniella Duran, 22; Irvin Castro, 26; Gabriella Aguilar, 27; and Jose Duran, 50.

The Police Station Made It Worse

Police took the group into custody and transported them to the Tourism Police Station, located just outside the cruise port across from the Bahamas Museum of Junkanoo. It was there, as officers prepared to conduct a routine search, that the situation escalated dramatically.

A second fight broke out inside the station. One of the women threw a chair through a glass door, shattering it. A man then kicked out the remaining glass and attempted to flee through the broken doorway before officers subdued him.

The physical toll on law enforcement was significant. Four officers sustained injuries during the struggle, including one whose shoulder was dislocated and required hospital treatment. The remaining officers were treated for less severe injuries, including bruising and a laceration to the mouth. The six tourists also received medical attention for minor injuries sustained during the incident.

The Charges and the Fines

All six defendants pleaded guilty to a collection of charges including assaulting a police officer, disorderly conduct, obscene language, resisting arrest, causing dangerous harm, and causing damage and obstruction. Several claimed intoxication played a role in both the original fight and their subsequent behavior at the station.

The court gave each defendant the choice between paying a fine or serving time in prison — a structure commonly used in Bahamian courts for visiting tourists, though typically reserved for far less serious offenses like minor marijuana possession. What made this case notably different was the severity of the underlying conduct, which justified penalties well beyond the usual range.

The individual breakdown:

• Daniella Duran was fined $16,600 or one year in prison, and ordered to pay $2,625 in compensation to two injured officers.
• Gabriella Aguilar and Jaeyln Duran were each fined $11,600 or six months in prison, with each required to pay $125 to one of the officers.
• Irvin Castro was fined $2,800 or six months in prison, with an additional $2,500 owed directly to one injured officer.
• Andrew Tapia was fined $4,600 or one year in prison.
• Jose Duran received the smallest penalty at $150 or one month in prison.

Combined, the fines total $47,350. Officer compensation adds another $5,375. The grand total — $52,725 — almost certainly exceeded what the six travelers spent on their entire cruise vacation, drink packages included.

Which Ship Were They On?

Despite extensive public interest, authorities have not confirmed which cruise ship or cruise line the six passengers were sailing with. Six different vessels from four cruise lines were docked in Nassau that day: Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas from Royal Caribbean; Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration from Carnival; Disney Fantasy; and Caribbean Princess.

Speculation online has pointed in multiple directions. Some accounts suggest the group may have been sailing with Carnival, while other eyewitness reports — and some blog coverage — have pointed toward Royal Caribbean, with several accounts noting that the altercation appeared to begin near the water shuttle area that serves Royal Caribbean’s recently opened Royal Beach Club Paradise Island. Local reporting also indicates the group missed their ship’s scheduled departure as a direct result of the arrests, though it’s unclear how their return travel was ultimately resolved.

A Separate Brawl, Same Week

This incident is entirely unrelated to a second, larger altercation that broke out later the same week at Royal Caribbean’s own Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, reportedly involving more than a dozen people. It remains unknown whether anyone involved in that second brawl was arrested or charged.

Two significant altercations involving cruise tourists in Nassau within the same week is a notable cluster, even for one of the busiest cruise destinations in the Caribbean. Of the roughly 30,000 cruise guests who passed through Nassau on June 8 alone, the vast majority — 29,994, by Cruise Hive’s count — managed to enjoy their day in port without ending up in a Bahamian courtroom.

What Happens Now

Cruise lines are consistently clear in their terms and conditions that guests are responsible for their own conduct while ashore and are expected to comply with all local laws. Beyond the financial penalties already imposed by Bahamian courts, it remains possible that whichever cruise line the six travelers were sailing with could impose its own consequences — ranging from a permanent sailing ban to loss of loyalty program status.

For six tourists from Colorado, what started as a fight in a crowded cruise terminal ended with a price tag well over $50,000 and a story that will likely follow them for a very long time.