Cruise workers busted for cocaine smuggling
Two cruise ship workers have been detained after a drug bust in Argentina netted 15kg of cocaine worth more than $1 million.
Two crew members on Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas were caught by customs officials when they tried to board the ship while it was docked at Buenos Aires.
The two men, a Croatian and a Chilean national, allegedly had packets of cocaine taped to their bodies.
According to the cruise crew portal crew-center.com, sniffer dogs later found more drugs in the men’s cabin.
Royal Caribbean International said the two crew members have been dismissed and it is cooperating fully with authorities during the investigation.
The ship arrived in Buenos Aires on Monday from Punta del Este, Uruguay, and was due to call in Brazil before sailing to Europe.
Earlier this month five Norwegian Cruise Line crew were caught allegedly trying to smuggle 7kg into the US from the Norwegian Sun when it docked in Tampa.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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