Nearly two dozen arrested ahead of Holy Ship! party cruise at Port Canaveral
UPDATED STORY:Party ship hits the high seas as prosecutors warn about pot laws
A DJ set to be one of the musical highlights for a journey on the high seas was one of the dozens instead taken into custody at Port Canaveral during the embarkation of a popular youth-culture inspired party ship.
The cruise, known as Holy Ship!, set sail from Port Canaveral on Saturday. But a check of Brevard County Sheriff’s Office records shows about two dozen arrests at the port terminal where the Norwegian Cruise Epic, designed for at least 4,000 people, readied for departure.
The ship was headed to a private island, Great Stirrup Cay. Organizers of the event had no comment about the arrests. Port Canaveral authorities, however, credited federal and other investigators with carrying out the investigation.
“The safety and security of cruise passengers at our port – or any port, for that matter – is a serious business. The arrests that occurred this weekend were made by a joint effort of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies," said Steve Linden, director of Communications & Public Affairs for Port Canaveral.
"The Canaveral Port Authority is proud and highly supportive of these professionals who ensure the safety measures and protections for all passengers boarding every cruise ship at our Port.”
In the case of Gina Marie Van Scheppingen, who goes by stage name DJ Gina Turner, deputies searched through her bag and found THC-laced edibles, along with THC oil pipes and 1.5 grams of powdered cocaine, reports show.
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Van Scheppingen, 33, of Orangeburg, New York, told deputies she had a medical marijuana card issued in California, however, the cards are not recognized legally in Florida.
In addition to Van Scheppingen, 21 others were taken into custody Saturday. Most of the charges were for possession of marijuana, MDMA/ecstasy and cocaine.
Although most of the charges were for small amounts of drugs, according to police records, Bodo Hambuechen, a 53-year-old Winter Park man was found with MDMA gummy candies and charged with drug trafficking after police say he had 80 grams of the substance.
Customs and Border Patrol officials, along with Brevard County Sheriff's Office personnel, used drug-sniffing dogs to establish probable cause before conducting searches of the arrested cruise passengers at the terminal.
The cruise line would not comment about the arrests.
The short Holy Ship! cruises have a fanbase known as "shipfam." The community has garnered attention for the party atmosphere created aboard the ships and for the sometimes, over-the-top costumes seen among its clientele.
An investigation is ongoing.
Others arrested:
- Ryan Canty, 27, of Westminster, California
- Francis Garrison, 31, of San Antonio, Texas
- Joseph Dixon, 27, of Fort Lauderdale
- Delanyo Amegadzie, 27, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
- Layla Nottingham, 24, of Vacaville, California
- Sung Lee, 35, of Austin, Texas
- Ricky Harrell, 29, of Pflugerville, Texas
- Kevin Tovar, 37, of Taylorsville, Utah
- Bodo Hambuechen, 53, of Winter Park
- Joseph Scott, 38, of Garden Grove, California
- Omar Qazi, 24, of Torrance, California
- Christopher Chen, 29, of San Marino, California
- Benedict Concepcion, 28, of Pleasonton, California
- Karl Dettman, 34, of Cross Plains, Wisconsin
- Glenn Han, 34, of Glendale, California
- Josh Gondkoff, 29, of Pleasonton, California
- Zane Morrison, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah
- David Paulsen, 27, of Marietta, Georgia
- Alexander Phi, 29, of Austin, Texas
- Lyn Nguyen, 25, of Denver, Colorado
- Zachariah Pascouau, 30, of Austin, Texas.
Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642
or jdgallop@floridatoday.com.
Twitter: @jdgallop