MIAMI — Federal and local law enforcement officers detained several passengers at PortMiami on Sunday after discovering illegal drugs in their luggage as they attempted to board Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas for a week-long Caribbean cruise event.
The cruise, Atlantis Events’ “Symphony 2026,” has been widely promoted as one of the largest LGBTQ+ festival-style sailings, attracting thousands of vacationers for entertainment, parties, and Caribbean stops including the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at Terminal A employed trained detection dogs to screen outbound baggage before boarding. Multiple suitcases were flagged for inspection, and subsequent field tests reportedly indicated the presence of controlled substances, including MDMA (ecstasy), methamphetamine, ketamine and GBL.
The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office took the individuals into custody and booked them at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Arrest and court records show the defendants face a range of state charges, from possession to trafficking controlled substances. In some cases, the amounts seized were insufficient to warrant federal prosecution and were referred to county authorities instead.
Among those charged were men from California, Washington, Tennessee, Georgia and San Francisco, according to booking documents. Bond amounts were set in court for several defendants, while at least one was released on his own recognizance pending further proceedings.
Authorities have not released additional details about ongoing investigations or potential links between the individuals arrested. Royal Caribbean Cruises and Atlantis Events had not issued public statements on the matter as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Symphony of the Seas cruise is scheduled to return to Miami on Feb. 8 after its scheduled itinerary.
