The Houston Chronicle has an interesting article about five passengers arrested in Galveston when a cruise ship returned to port.

The passengers were on the Carnival Magic cruise ship and were arrested because they all has outstanding criminal warrants. Three women and two men were arrested and handcuffed and taken to jail in Galveston.

The criminal offenses included forgery, felony tampering with government records, and felony property damage.

The arrests took place after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ran the names from the cruise passenger manifest through various databases. If outstanding warrants are located, the CBP will make an arrest once the cruise ship returns to port after the cruise.

Arrests like this are common, according to the director of the port in Galveston, although five on one cruise ship is higher than normal.

I have always wondered why these checks are not conducted before the ship sails so that the arrests take place before the cruise. Otherwise it sounds like most families will find themselves cruising with one one or two criminals with outstanding warrants.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia / Thomas Doerfer