American grandmother arrested for bringing loaded gun on Royal Caribbean cruise, jailed in The Bahamas

An American grandmother was arrested on a Royal Caribbean cruise and charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition. 

Mary Robinson, 69, of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, was caught with a loaded gun in her purse while sailing on Liberty of the Seas, her attorney, Bjorn Ferguson, confirmed to PEOPLE. 

Somehow, the weapon bypassed the security team at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and wasn't found until the ship was docked in Nassau, Bahamas, on December 2. 

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When discovered, Robinson's black Kel-Tec .380 was armed with four rounds of ammunition. She was then arrested and spent about five days in Nassau's Fox Hill Prison, which is infamous for its overcrowding issues, poor nutrition standards, inadequate sanitation, and inadequate medical care.

Robinson’s granddaughter, Graci Exendine, set up a GoFundMe to help raise enough money to cover the hefty fine. 

"She needs a miracle to happen for her. She went on a cruise for her adopted son Johnny's 12th birthday. She is 69 years old and on her trips she usually [brings] some kind of protection but usually leaves it in the car since you aren’t allowed to bring it on the ship," Exendine wrote. 

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"Well accidentally she didn’t leave it and it was found in her bag when they checked at the Bahamas and she was arrested."

According to a local news outlet, Robinson pleaded guilty to the possession charges before Magistrate Lennox Coleby on Dec. 4. She apologized, saying that she forgot the handgun in her purse because of Oklahoma's open carry laws. Robinson then had to pay an $8,000 fine or risk spending up to 24 months in prison.

Still, Robinson's situation highlights an important rule for travelers: no matter what's legal in your home state or country, you must abide by the laws of the jurisdiction you're traveling to. 

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Ferguson told PEOPLE that entering the Bahamas with a firearm is "problematic." Firearm possession charges are taken seriously, with consequences as serious as lengthy prison sentences and hefty fines. 

Since Robinson didn’t pay her fine on the day of the hearing, she had to spend time in the Bahamian prison

Exendine’s GoFundMe successfully collected more than $12,000 to cover her grandmother’s fine.