Question 1

What is the "Drug Purchase Setup Near Doctor's Cave Beach" scam in Montego Bay?

Accepted Answer

Around Doctor's Cave Beach and the side streets off Gloucester Avenue on the Hip Strip, strangers offer to sell cannabis or other drugs to tourists. These encounters are frequently orchestrated setups: a second individual posing as a plainclothes police officer then approaches and threatens arrest unless a substantial cash bribe is paid on the spot. In some cases both individuals are working together and no drugs change hands before the shakedown begins. Refuse all unsolicited drug offers firmly and immediately. Do not follow anyone off the main strip or into a side street. If a person claiming to be police approaches you, insist on being taken to a marked police station and do not hand over cash.

Question 2

What is the "Hip Strip Vendor Harassment" scam in Montego Bay?

Accepted Answer

Vendors and touts on the Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue) persistently offer drugs, unofficial tours, hair braiding, and trinkets, sometimes grabbing tourists' arms or blocking paths to prevent them from walking away. Walk confidently and make brief, firm eye contact when saying "no thank you." Prolonged engagement or hesitation intensifies the pressure.

Street Scams in Montego Bay

Drug Purchase Setup Near Doctor's Cave Beach

Hip Strip Vendor Harassment

Experienced a scam here?