A West Hollywood man was arrested Sunday at PortMiami while trying to board what was being billed as the world’s largest LGBTQ festival at sea, according to Miami-Dade County records.
Joshua Eddy, 41, is facing one trafficking charge and three counts of controlled substance possession after federal officers found multiple drugs in his luggage during security screening before the departure of Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. Some of the drugs listed included the usual suspects: MDMA (ecstasy/Molly), ketamine, meth and GBL.
Four other men from cities across the country were also arrested Sunday afternoon at the cruise terminal, all facing similar charges.
The arrests happened as passengers were boarding the sold-out Atlantis Events cruise that markets itself as a massive floating festival for gay travelers. The ship can carry more than 5,500 passengers.
What Federal Officers Found
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were conducting security checks with trained dogs at Terminal A on Dodge Island when they flagged Eddy’s bags. Officers said they found pills and liquid that tested positive for MDMA, ketamine, methamphetamine and GBL, according to arrest reports.
The quantities were apparently too low for federal prosecutors to take the cases, so CBP referred them to Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office deputies instead.
Eddy appeared in bond court Monday morning. Judge Christina Miranda set his bond at $7,000.
Four Others Also Arrested
The other four men arrested Sunday were Joshua Jenkins, 39, of Tacoma, Washington; Brad Kloha, 41, of Nashville; Adam Jones, 49, of Atlanta; and Hoi Le, 51, of San Francisco.
Jenkins faced one possession charge and was released on his own recognizance Monday. The other three defendants remained in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center near Doral as of Monday afternoon.
CBP officers used infrared testing equipment and chemical identification kits to analyze the substances found in passengers’ luggage, according to arrest reports. When the dogs flagged bags, ship security notified federal officers, who then conducted searches that included pat-downs.
Three of the five defendants had posted bond or been released by Monday afternoon. Miami-Dade circuit judges will handle the cases in the coming weeks.
this denouement is so predictable and cliche’, it’s funny.
Damn he woulda been fun to hook up with on the cruise.
Doncha think He knew it!
Seems like overkill.
If these kind of gay events are so much fun why do they need so many drugs to get through them?
Very good point
b’cause otherwise, maybe they’re Not.
Arrested for “petty Drug trafficking”