Arrests were made before the vacation even began for these party-goers. The “world’s biggest gay festival at sea,” marketed by Atlantis Events as the ultimate queer getaway on the Symphony of the Seas, hit a few waves before it even left port. What was supposed to be an epic cruise turned into a legal drama at Port Miami as several tourists were arrested before they could even board the Royal Caribbean ship.
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On Sunday, as everyone was excitedly lining up to board the Symphony of the Seas, the usual pre-cruise chaos took an unexpected turn. Instead of the usual luggage checks and occasional confused tourist, trained dogs were on duty, sniffing their way through bags. And, let’s just say… these dogs weren’t there for the scent of sunscreen and sea air.
So here are the alleged facts and charges in these arrests. Note: no one knows if they were carrying the drugs to use or to sell or both.
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In the blink of an eye, five tourists found themselves off to the clink instead of the open sea. CBP officers reported found a small pharmacy in Joshua Eddy’s luggage (41, from West Hollywood) —MDMA, ketamine, meth, and GBL, totaling over 30 grams of pure party fuel. Eddy, now facing four charges, including trafficking, was promptly booked and given a $7,000 bond.
Joshua Jenkins, 39, of Tacoma, Washington, had a little too much meth in his possession. Jenkins was released on his own recognizance.
Brad Kloha, 41, of Nashville, found his bags also searched. Officers uncovered 16 grams of MDMA and 17 grams of ketamine. Kloha, arrested just before 3:30 p.m., now faces trafficking charges and a $6,000 bond.
Adam Jones, 49, from Atlanta, had a meth stash of 23 grams. He, too, was arrested and booked, but his bond was a bit lighter at $5,000.
Hoi Le, 51, from San Francisco, was in possession of two baggies of meth and ketamine. Arrested at 5:15 p.m. and now facing trafficking charges, Le’s bond was also set at $5,000.
A Bump in the (Dance) Floor
Now, we’re not saying this is the type of “turn-up” everyone expected at the “world’s biggest gay festival at sea,” but it sure adds a new layer of drama to an already colorful adventure. As glamorous as these cruises are supposed to be, this is a stark reminder that sometimes the party goes a little too hard.
Atlantis Events might have had the best intentions, but with security screening bags with serious scrutiny, it seems some folks forgot about one very crucial thing: the drugs you sneak onto a cruise might just be more trouble than they’re worth.
The Ocean’s Full of Surprises
We get it—vacations are about breaking free, but let’s keep it legal, friends. As Symphony of the Seas sets sail (hopefully with fewer narcotics on board), these arrests are definitely not the souvenir anyone was hoping for. So, let this be a reminder to pack the sunscreen and leave the other stuff at home, because sometimes, even the best party can hit an iceberg.
We’re still rooting for the rest of the crew who managed to avoid this fiasco. May their dance floors stay free of drama, and their bonds stay… non-existent.
And some sobering notes from of our Facebook commentors to leave you with:
- I am shocked!
. The other 5000 probably swallowed plastic baggies that later needed a good wash off….
- Only 5 people out of 5,500. I’m shocked it wasn’t 1,000 or more. They must have only randomly picked some bags or something because on that cruise, a large portion of guys are bringing some substance onboard. I’d bet it approaches even 50%.
- These are the only guys who got caught….
- Not surprised face
- Please. This happens before every big cruise
- I get the arrests for the meth, but don’t understand what the big issue with the other stuff. Let people live their lives!!
- Stupid people, I’ve been on Atlantis where one died from an OD, one arrested and locked in his room for the entire trip and that’s the only two I know of, I’m sure there were many more.
- Source: Local10
The funds these guys paid for these drugs go to support drug lords that are engaged in human traffic , exploitation and making things miserable for a lot of innocent people …not to mention the countless lives that are lost or negatively impacted by substance abuse . Our community can do better .
Shouldn’t show the faces- why demonize? Want to pile on? Yes drugs is bad/crack is whack/ just say no and they should repent if they want to make it to heaven. No need to moralise here. It is a fact that some people like to use substances. Some people get wasted on alcohol and some take other things. Yes those other things are illegal, but this does not mean that by taking them once or a hundred times that you are an inherently bad person. Did they rape underage girls? Did they steak something? Did they commit acts of violence? Should they be fired from their jobs now? What would you like to happen to the people you publicly named and shamed?
It is all public record. Slow your roll.
agreed
Many are missing the point. 30 grams of any combination of potent illicit drugs is an extremely large quantity, far beyond anything associated with personal use. Even small amounts of any of them can be dangerous depending on purity, individual health, interactions with other substances, and the setting. If you have a son and have heard these arrested names, you might have a chance to save a life!
Let’s Shame the drunk and the ones that bring alcohol on board and the ones that sell it. There are far more worst crimes to go after !!!!
If I ran a business that had this many deaths…I’d be embarrassed.
According to Chat GPT, here is the list of DEATHS on Atlantis Events cruises.
This doesn’t count the drug overdoses.
Oct 2009 — Spencer Yu (GLAAD board member) died during an Atlantis‑chartered voyage.
2010 — a 37‑year‑old passenger died aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas during an Atlantis charter.
02/03/2012 — a 30‑year‑old British man went overboard from Allure of the Seas (ship was on an Atlantis‑chartered cruise); presumed dead.
01/23/2018 — Joel Taylor (television personality) was found dead aboard Harmony of the Seas during an Atlantis cruise (toxicology later reported drug mix).
01/23/2020 — a 46‑year‑old man went overboard from Oasis of the Seas (Atlantis charter) and died.
01/21/2022 (reported) — a passenger died unexpectedly aboard Oasis of the Seas during Atlantis Events’ 30th‑anniversary charter.
01/24/2024 (reported) — another passenger died aboard Oasis of the Seas during an Atlantis‑chartered cruise in January 2024.
Did you run the same search for how many people have died on regular Royal Caribbean cruises from foul play? The list is far longer.
Also the Atlantis deaths in 2020 and 2022 were from a suicide and a heart issue. So, these numbers are actually not that huge. Compare them to straight party cruises or other EDM or Rock festivals/events.
Fifteen years ago agents brought drug dogs aboard the Norwegian Wind in San Juan. We had been at sea for several days with stops outside United States Territory. It was only when docked in Puerto Rico that arrests could be made. One of the guys I met said his bond of $5000 made this a very expesive trip for him. The dogs ran directly to the rooms occupied by the users and they got busted right away. Another Atlantis Cruise Adventure.
Only five people were caught? You know darn well that a lot more people had all sorts of drugs on them. Any large gay event and the drugs are rampant. It’s the hedonistic lifestyle lead by some gays. It’s really fun until it isn’t anymore.
Yes show the faces and the locations, the drug scene is out of control, and to many in our community are getting hurt by it. We won’t go on these cruises anymore after seeing what these drugs do and how people act. Shame on these guys.
STFU, don’t be judgmental, and mind your own business.
Not everyone wants your boring lifestyle.
If you want to sleep every Saturday night at 11 p.m. and eat carrots, good for you 👍
If someone else wants to party for 24 hours with gummies, good for him too 👍
Everyone chooses their own path. That doesn’t make them bad people.
The worst thing is the persons who spit on others just because they don’t understand them…
They should be fired and kicked out of their homes. Right?
They’re cruising into the Caribbean where Trump is seizing ships. Imagine his victory lap taking down a ship full of drag queens and trans, and many more queens with accents they can detain and deport, all under the heading of drug smuggling. Maybe he’ll just bomb it from the air…
Hey, you shouldn’t be bringing drugs on a ship. I am a nurse and seeing way too many overdoses on ships that I cruise on on a regular basis because people don’t know how to party properly. Can you bring illegal drugs on that they should not have they know the rules so if they got arrested, shame on them.
Clutching pearls – I can’t believe anyone would even think if ever taking a pill or a joint or a bump on a cruise!
Just got off cruise. Atlantis warns everyone about drug search’s getting on and off as well as in ports.
As much as we wanted to bring a few gummies, we left them behind.
Don’t risk it!
A dog was in front of us sniffing a little too long the guys bag in front of us and they asked a passenger to follow them with his carry on bag.
Showing the faces are really unnecessary. They are not pedo or killers. So please delete their faces from here. Thank you
In America the “police blotter” is a matter of public record.
Oh please
I don’t mind this. Josh Eddy showed up at a mostly straight music festival in Croatia 2 summers ago and proceeded to make a mockery of himself. He was choking guys and spitting down their throats on the dance floor. He and his friends continuously ruined the vibe for those anywhere near them. Do that at a circuit party if you wish but don’t bring that shit to mixed house music spaces!
FAFO
It may dissuade them from doing this again.
WTF – images are pubic record – they are carrying illegal drugs. Period.
There were also dogs at Miami for the previous Tropical Americas cruise departure. Atlantis perhaps should have sent an email advising sailors this was going to happen
From my perspective this article isn’t written hatefully or judgmentally. It’s a cautionary warning. My wife and I are both licensed professionals so something like this could ruin either of our careers. I can party and have a good time with/without it, some people do have a problem and need it. The amount they had was not recreational, let’s be fucking real. They were going to sell that shit. Fuck meth, that shit will burn your face off and fry your brain. Honestly, it sucks for them but it’s a lesson to everyone else.
A couple notes here, since you brought up the “licensed professionals” aspect.
When people get arrested for this stuff, they weigh the bag and everything that might be mixed in. Also, a lot of MDMA is actually cut with meth, but people don’t realize it.
So while this article seems to be trying to remain neutral (which I appreciate), the reality is, we don’t really know what the real amounts are – the police tend to use the highest amount they can to try to get the highest charge they can get, knowing it will probably be settled at a lower charge later. The 30g could be that they had one pill mixed in a pill bottle with 10 viagras – who knows. The cops will weight the whole thing after a successful test of one pill and claim it’s all drugs, and then let you argue otherwise in court (or settle). Most people don’t realize that.
So, in summary, we don’t know that these people really had meth or knew they were carrying meth – they may have actually thought they had MDMA. And we don’t know the real weights – those are nonsense figures police tend to use.
I don’t have an opinion on whether these guys should be arrested or not, but I just want to make clear that the reported “facts” are usually garbage from the police department and I kind of hate the smear campaign game in the public domain that comes from it.
Did we need full names and pictures to tell this story? Let’s save the smear for pedophiles and murderers. These are party drugs not a war crime.
Lmao caught the meth user
Meth is a scourge on the gay community. Maybe this public shaming will guide them towards recovery.
When you are continuing the epidemic that is meth in our community, you deserve to be on blast.
It is literally ruining people’s lives.
Author- Judge much? You get off on other peoples pain? My guess is the author is an alcholic, but thats better right? Nothing like gays shaming each other versus trying to get them some help.
I hope these guys get the help they need and this was also was not targeted search specifically towards gays. Straight people also do these drugs on cruises.
ESE,
It’s spelled alcoholic, but you go and slur your words just fine while you’re judging others.
As for getting them some help? Recreational drug use is a very common thing for gay events like this. Who is to say these people are addicts, drug dealers, or whatever. The magazine said they were caught with the drugs, arrested for drug possession. No one ever said they were using them or selling them. That remains to be seen.
So you go ahead and volunteer to help them, even before you know they have a problem.
I’m sorry you don’t think illegal drug use is a crime. Too many gays have died or been injured on Atlantis cruises over the years. I’ve been on 13 of them. I was on the one where a guy was gang-raped at the indoor pool while he was unconscious. All of it was on video.
I agree Laguna. It’s an epidemic and it needs to die down. We have so many ODs at these gay events with party drugs. These gentlemen were probably going got use and sell.
…and how many more did you go on after the gang-rape?
The only way Rich Campbell will learn to stop this behavior is when people boycott his drug tugs.
An alcholic? Is that a person addicted to chocolate?