24 arrested with marijuana, MDMA and cocaine before Holy Ship! cruise
Officers arrested 24 people on drug-possession charges during 6 January 2018 security checks before the Holy Ship! festival cruise at Port Canaveral. Cannabis products seized included THC edibles, weed oil and about 100 grams of weed gummies, alongside cocaine and MDMA.
🇺🇸 Port Canaveral cruise terminal, Port Canaveral, Florida · Florida, United States
Federal, state and local officers arrested 24 people on drug-possession charges
during security checks before boarding the Holy Ship! 2018 cruise at Port
Canaveral.[1]The arrests took place on Saturday 6 January during embarkation
for the Norwegian Epic, a cruise ship hosting the Holy Ship! festival and
designed for 4,000 people.[2]Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Customs and
Border Patrol agents with drug-sniffing dogs stopped would-be passengers from
leaving the port.[2]
Deputies said the drugs ranged from marijuana to cocaine and MDMA or ecstasy,
with much of it linked to the rave scene.[1]One arrest involved 34-year-old
Gina Marie Van Scheppingen, who performs as DJ Gina Turner.[2]Deputies
searching her bag found THC-laced edibles and THC oil pipes along with 1.5 grams
of powdered cocaine.[2]Officers also reported THC pills, weed oil for vaping,
marijuana-infused gummies and pot-laced espresso beans among other would-be
passengers.[2]Ryan Canty of Westminster, California, was found with
approximately 100 grams of weed gummies and told officers he did not know
Florida’s marijuana law.[2]
Several of those arrested carried California medical-marijuana cards, which
prosecutors said Florida does not recognize.[2]Holy Ship! warned that anyone
found with illegal substances would be arrested and banned from future events.[1]A photo gallery of the arrests was titled two dozen arrested for drugs
before the party cruise.[3]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
A man was arrested at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint in Texas after a K-9 alert led to the discovery of marijuana and three firearms, one reported stolen. The driver, held on an active warrant, was turned over to local authorities for extradition.
Passenger Jamaal Parker was arrested on November 10, 2026, after a wrong-way vehicle pursuit ended in a crash in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Sheriff's deputies reported finding 4 pounds (1.81 kilograms) of concentrated marijuana (THC) valued at over $13,000 and two loaded handguns in his backpack.
Patrick Wayne Gaylor, 40, was arrested on Maple Avenue near East 6th Street in Rome, Georgia, after police stopped his vehicle over an improperly restrained five-year-old child and found marijuana. He was charged with marijuana possession, a child safety restraint violation, and a parole violation.
Palo Alto County sheriff's deputies arrested 37-year-old Baley Dietrich and 18-year-old Landen Dietrich, both of Graettinger, after a disturbance call on the morning of 9 November 2026. Both were charged with first-offense marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia and were booked into the Palo Alto County Jail to await initial appearances.
