A Quebec man who simply wanted to help the people of Cuba in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma says he'll never go back, even though his wife is from there and they have strong ties to the island.
Carl-Michel Cloutier and his family were so upset about the suffering post-storm that they gathered 19 suitcases of relief supplies: clothing, canned food, toys and more.
He'd gotten a letter explaining his purpose from the Cuban consulate but when he arrived on the island, he was only able to take nine of the bags out of the airport, and then only after paying $125 in duty.
Cloutier tells La Presse he able to distribute the donations in his wife's hometown but ended up being stopped by police, taken in for hours of questioning and had his camera and cellphone confiscated. He was later told he wouldn't be able to leave the country and his wife's relatives might be arrested if he tried to evade more questioning.
The situation was only sorted out the next day with the help of Canadian consular staff.
Cloutier tells La Presse that he was treated like a criminal, and is advising other Quebecers who want to travel to Cuba to help with hurricane relief not to.