Police at the port of Marseille (France) have arrested 2 passengers on the MSC Cruises' ship MSC Seaside who were reportedly carrying a total of 12 kilos of cocaine in their luggage.
It is the 2nd drug bust on MSC Seaside during the transatlantic cruise from Brazil, after the arrest of 10 passengers in Valencia (Spain) for smuggling 54 kilos of cocaine.
During the ship inspection on April 4, 2022, the police in Marseille discovered 12 kg of cocaine hidden in suitcases. They arrested 2 young Brazilians - Tayrana and Joao - posing as a couple during the voyage. After embarking in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on MSC Seaside, sailing from one cruise port to another in the Mediterranean, they stopped over in Marseille. Boarding the liner for an unexpected check, the sniffer dog of the customs officers stopped in front of cabin 9185.
The estimated value of the drugs, destined for Italy, is EUR 500,000.
According to French news outlets, Tayrana, who was a previous cleaning woman, had met Joao at a party, after being fired "for having refused the advances of her boss". The young man had offered her to pretend to be his spouse on a voyage to Europe. The role-playing game would have earned them between EUR 6,000 and 7,000 each.
According to the couple, they had not been the only ones role-playing onboard.
Tayrana and Joao got 2-year jail sentences for trafficking narcotics.
For more MSC Seaside incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.