There is ALWAYS time for a story about a £1.2million (about R21 million) cocaine bust on a luxury cruise liner. That’s like, basically, all we want to read about the whole time.

Arcadia cruise liner

This, from The Mirror:

P&O CRUISE LINER RAID NETS £1.2M COKE HAUL
By Jenna Sloan 20/10/2008

Seven held after Caribbean trip

A luxury cruise liner was raided in a huge drugs swoop as it docked from the Caribbean yesterday.

Seven people thought to have been carrying more than £1.2million worth of cocaine were held by Customs and police.

The raid on the Arcadia came as it arrived in Southampton in the early hours following a 23-night cruise around the Caribbean.

Four of those arrested – all of whom were thought to be fare-paying passengers – are believed to have had a total of 30kg of the Class A drug strapped to their bodies.

The seven suspected smugglers – from Birmingham and Manchester – were taken into custody and the drugs seized. HM Revenue and Customs criminal investigation chief Peter Avery said: “Our investigations will not only focus on those transporting cocaine but also those that finance and mastermind this illegal trade.”

[read more here]

Nice. Cool vibe. They should have searched all the other non-smuggler guests; they would have probably doubled the drug haul.

Here’s some more wiki info for you about Arcadia:

On board the ship boasts:

11 Passenger decks
Three-deck atrium
14 bars
Main (Meridian) restaurant on two levels, 24-hour food court (The Belvedere), two further restaurants (The Orchid & Arcadian Rhodes), poolside grill (Neptune) and coffee bar (Caffe Vivo)
One outdoor pool, one indoor pool with retracting roof and seven Jacuzzis (two of which are for exclusive use of the ship’s company)
Three-tier theatre The Palladium
The Globe – intimate cabaret lounge
Monte Carlo Casino
Electra Nightclub
Library
Observation lounge Crows Nest
Internet
spa and hair beauty salon
Relaxation lounge and art gallery
14 passenger lifts, including four glass lifts on the exterior of the ship, two to port and two to starboard

Nice vibe. A bit over the top though, for just one guy and eight Russian models. Maybe check out Boating World’s website for something more sensible.