STING OPERATION

Posted on 01/15/2016 | About New Orleans, Louisiana

A branch of US Homeland Security busted a cocaine smuggling operation in New Orleans last Sunday. Five men, including three crew members were arrested on felony charges when the Norwegian Dawn arrived from the Roatan cruise port in Honduras.

A federal court filing reports that Homeland Security agents spotted two crewmembers removing shoes and clothing in a public restroom near the docks and detained them. The agents allegedly seized six packages of cocaine from a shoulder bag. A third crew member was also followed and detained as was a man that he met. Asbert Lowmans, reportedly agreed to cooperate and helped authorities conduct a sting operation to arrest the alleged buyer of the drugs, identified as Jamaican Alfred Dennison. Lowmans carried a dummy bag appearing to be the cocaine to Dennison's hotel. Dennison was found to be in possession of $19,000 in cash.

A total of 4.75 kilograms of cocaine was recovered in the bust. Last year, five NCL crew members were arrested in Tampa for trying to smuggle drugs into the US from Roatan on the Norwegian Sun. One was convicted and four pleaded guilty. The year before that, security on the Norwegian Dawn discovered a Nicaraguan galley worker attempting to board the ship carrying a package of cocaine. The crew member was arrested by local police.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has not made a public statement.