Four U.S. passengers aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship were recently arrested in Bermuda for allegedly attempting to smuggle a “significant quantity of illegal drugs,” including cannabis, THC vape pens, THC gummies, and the highly potent synthetic opioid carfentanyl.
The arrests are reported to have happened after Carnival’s onboard security team detained the suspects and handed them over to local authorities when the ship arrived at the port of King’s Wharf in Bermuda.
According to the Bermuda Police Service, the drugs were discovered during the ship’s scheduled port stop at the island.
Carfentanyl, alleged to be one of the substances found, is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl and is commonly used to tranquilize large animals like elephants.
The specific ship wasn’t identified but it is known that Carnival Pride or Carnival Sunshine often make port stops in King’s Wharf Bermuda.
Acting Detective Superintendent Derricka Burns underscored the seriousness of the seizure:
“This seizure may have prevented a potential tragedy.”
Authorities are said to believe the drugs were intended for distribution during the port call.
The suspects now face strict enforcement under both U.S. and Bermudian drug laws, which impose harsh penalties for possession and trafficking.
Carnival’s Zero-Tolerance Policy
Carnival Cruise Line reiterated its strict anti-drug policies in light of the incident:
“We follow a zero-tolerance drug policy, as we strictly comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and we also advise our guests that they can be personally subject to local law enforcement actions.”
In 2023 Carnival reinforced and restated it’s strict zero tolerance policy and in this video Captain Andrea Catalani talked about how the cruise line uses specially trained dogs to detect drugs in ports and on the ships.
This is directly from Carnival Cruise Lines website:
There is zero tolerance for possession of narcotics (which includes marijuana, even in those states where marijuana has been decriminalized). All guests and their personal items may be subject to screening by law enforcement and any guest found in possession of illegal drugs and other prohibited items may be subject to fines, arrest, and denial of boarding without refund or compensation. This is beyond Carnival’s control. Furthermore, Carnival reserves the right to deploy narcotics-sniffing dogs in terminals and on board our ships in order to enforce our obligations to uphold federal law.
The recent Bermuda arrests are not the only recent example of drug smuggling attempts on cruise ships. Authorities worldwide have reported similar incidents:
- In Australia in March 2025, a Brazilian passenger was arrested for attempting to smuggle 10 kilograms of cocaine into Sydney by hiding it in the ceiling cavity of their cabin.
- In 2022, Spanish officials arrested smugglers posing as passengers on cruise ships crossing the Atlantic from South America.
- In 2023, French police intercepted Brazilian couriers trying to smuggle cocaine from South America into Europe aboard a cruise ship.
Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.