The Royal Gazette reports on Bermuda busting yet another U.S. cruise ship passenger for possessing a small amount of pot for personal use.
This incident yesterday occurred when Bermuda customs officers brought their sniffer dogs aboard the Norwegian Dawn and busted a Massachusetts passenger for 8 grams of cannabis which was located in a safe in the passenger’s cabin.
Bermuda customs officials arrested the NCL passenger – who incidentally was on this three year anniversary with his wife – and hauled him in front of a local criminal magistrate who fined him $2,000.
Drug sniffer dogs + small amounts of pot + quick fines for U.S. passengers = big business in Bermuda. Doesn’t seem to be anything called probable cause or an arrest warrant on this rocky island in the middle of the Atlantic.
Cruise ships are a major source of drug trafficking in Bermuda. Consider this Bermuda facebook page information:
"Illegal Substances and Drug Trafficking: Crews of cruise ships and drug couriers are the major importers. There is a zero tolerance policy in Bermuda; penalties for not complying are very harsh in Bermuda for even the smallest amount (Forbes, 2011)."
Also consider the following articles in the last year:
Bermuda Customs, Cruise Ship Cabins & Illegal Searches = Easy U.S. Money $$$
Bermuda Continues Cruise Ship Drug Busts
High Times on the High Seas – Cruise Industry Struggles with "Reefer Madness"
Are You a Stoner? Don’t Cruise to Bermuda!
Royal Caribbean Passengers Busted For Drugs, Taser Gun in Bermuda
Stay tuned. Bermuda busts cruise passengers it seems almost weekly.
But if a passenger or crew is raped or disappears on a Bermuda flagged cruise ship, Bermuda will never do anything. It is too busy grabbing the easy money by busting Americans with a few joints stashed away in a safe in the cruise ship cabin.
October 6, 2011 Update: Cruise ship reefer madness contiues in Bermuda, another passenger with pot in a safe in the cruise ship cabin getrs busted – Here We Go Again – Bermuda Shakes Down Another Cruise Ship Pot Head.
Photo credits:
Top: Reefer Madness
Bottom: REC 383/ GEOG 323 Bermuda