Photo: Detained in Dubai
A Houston woman who was stuck in Dubai for months after being arrested for "shouting" is reportedly heading back home.
According to CBS News, Tierra Allen, a TikTok influencer known as "Sassy Trucker," has boarded a flight back to the U.S. from the UAE, according to "Detained in Dubai," an international nonprofit organization that helped with her return. A fee of roughly $1,300 was reportedly paid to have her travel ban lifted by authorities.
"Tierra was living a nightmare and facing fines and lengthy imprisonment until her case was brought into the spotlight of international media scrutiny. Without that attention, all too often, Emirati authorities pay little heed to due process, fairness, and human rights," CEO of Detained in Dubai Radha Stirling said.
Allen was vacationing in Dubai in May when she was arrested following a confrontation with a man at a car rental company.
"She was told at the police station (Bur Dubai) that she has been accused of 'shouting,' which under the UAE's laws is illegal under 'offensive behavior,' which is an unclear and subjective regulation, but warrants up to two years in prison, a fine and deportation," Stirling previously told CBS News.
The man, who was an employee at the car rental company, allegedly tried to coerce Allen into paying thousands of dollars she didn't owe.
"Tierra is the latest American tourist to get caught up in what is a common rental car extortion scheme," Stirling said. "Rental car agencies are notorious for opening criminal cases against visitors with the promise to drop the case if they are paid off. The prevalence of blackmail is damaging to the UAE's tourism and investment sectors and Dubai's government needs to crack down on this abuse of process."
After being arrested and released on bail, Allen was reportedly barred from leaving the UAE pending the outcome of an investigation. Stirling said the media and public played a "crucial role" in Allen's return home.
The social media influencer has been ordered by UAE authorities to not return to Dubai, which she "was never thinking twice about coming back," Stirling said.
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