Man Arrested in USVI for Dealing Drugs on Cruise
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A California man was arrested in the U.S. Virgin Islands after federal agents searched his cabin onboard what was billed as the "world's largest gay cruise" and found a plethora of party drugs that he was allegedly selling to fellow passengers.
Steven Barry Krumholtz, 51, of West Hollywood was busted aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas as the cruise ship was docked in St. Thomas, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson says in a statement to AOL Travel News.
Krumholtz was allegedly taking orders for ecstasy, ketamine, or Special K, and methamphetamine from passengers before the cruise set sail from Florida on Feb. 6, federal officials say.
His cabin on the ship was raided after a passenger was found with drugs and told investigators that he had purchased them from Krumholz, according to a search warrant affidavit.
As federal agents searched Krumholz's cabin, they heard a knock on the door and found two men who wanted to buy drugs, Customs and Border Protection officials say.
Along with the drug stash, agents recovered $51,000 in cash.
Krumholz was detained in St. Thomas on charges of possession with intent to sell.
Defense attorney Gabriel Villegas declined to speak with reporters Friday, telling the Associated Press he had not yet reviewed all the case files.
Royal Caribbean says it has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs at sea.
"We take various steps to prevent the transport of illegal narcotics,'' says Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez. "Royal Caribbean cooperated fully with authorities during this investigation and will continue to provide law enforcement with any assistance they may need."
There were 5,4000 passengers aboard the cruise ship, which had been chartered by Atlantis Events, which specializes in organizing events for the gay and lesbian community. The itinerary included stops in Nassau, Bahamas, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.
The Allure of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world. Atlantis has also chartered the ship for another cruise in 2012.
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i detest drug traffickers.
