Man Allegedly Caught with Cocaine on Cruise Ship

According to federal agents, a man was caught with over 300 grams of cocaine on a cruise ship at a Florida port. The agents say that on Oct. 21, they searched the man and his luggage while he was waiting at the port to leave the cruise ship. The ship had arrived from a trip to Freeport, Bahamas.

Agents allegedly found a package of cocaine sealed in plastic in the man’s luggage. According to a criminal complaint, the cocaine weighed 323.98 grams. The man allegedly said that he was aware of cocaine in his luggage and stated that he expected to receive $10,000 for the drug. He reportedly planned to keep $3,000 for bringing the cocaine to Florida. The man planned on bringing the remaining $7,000 to the Bahamas. Additionally, he admitted to bringing cocaine to Florida from the Bahamas in the past. The man is facing a charge of importation of cocaine. A drug charge may come with severe penalties upon conviction including fines, prison time and probation.

A Florida criminal defense attorney might be helpful to someone facing serious drug-related charges. In some situations, law enforcement officers overstep their boundaries and violate a defendant’s rights. If this has happened, the entire case could be dismissed. If the evidence has been compromised in some way, it may be possible to challenge it in court and have it excluded from proceedings.

Defendants also have the choice to accept a plea deal. The prosecution and defense may broker the deal and offer something like reduced penalties in exchange for valuable information or a guilty plea. A potential benefit of a plea agreement is that the defendant can avoid going to trial.

Source: The Palm Beach Post, “Man faces federal drug charges after he’s caught with cocaine on Celebration cruise ship“, Alexandra Seltzer, November 29, 2013

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