Safety When You Travel—Wrongful Detentions Can Happen Anywhere, Even in Friendly Nations

When we think of state-sponsored hostage-taking or wrongful detentions, nations like North Korea, Cuba, Iran, or Russia often come to mind. However, it’s crucial to recognize that wrongful detentions can occur in any nation. Even in democratic countries and other free societies, laws can be exploited for political purposes. I’ve done more than my fair share of international travel, and you never know when or where a seemingly routine run with the law could go south.

Many moons ago, for example, I worked with other lawyers on an export compliance audit involving a U.S. government contractor in Ecuador. I was no fan of the government then, but I kept my counsel in the country. As we were set to depart for an incident-free trip, and as the door to our plane to Miami, Florida, was about to be closed, I was asked to deplane. Who, me? Odd, I complied since it was a customs official with a gun.

To the great amusement of the passengers on the plane I had just deplaned, my bags were opened on a small wooden table on the tarmac for the next what seemed an eternity. Surrounded by more police with dogs and military types, I was asked a lot of questions about what I was doing in Ecuador, whether I had drugs in my bags, and who knows what else.

Of course, there was nothing to find. But Ecuador was led by a left-wing dictator who cared little about the rule of law. Maybe they were looking for an American or two to make an example of. Perhaps it was a routine check? Who knows. But I could’ve been locked up. A little more about this incident at the end of this post.