Two passengers on a cruise from Miami to the United Kingdom were arrested earlier this month after over 100 bags of marijuana were discovered in their luggage, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In an affidavit, investigators said that Michael Quesenberry and Savannah Minami boarded the Norwegian Joy on Jan. 11, which was bound for Southampton, England.
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Investigators found the two in a passenger room, though Minami claimed she had just met Quesenberry at a bar on the ship, so she didn’t know him previously, the affidavit states.
As a result, law enforcement told Minami she was free to leave, according to the DHS.
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The affidavit says that investigators discovered 56 vacuum-sealed bags containing a “green, leafy substance” in Quesenberry’s luggage. The substances later tested positive for marijuana.
However, Quesenberry claimed that the marijuana was for personal use and that he had a medical marijuana card back in California, investigators explained.
After discovering the marijuana, law enforcement then found Minami at a bar on the cruise ship and “escorted her back to her own room,” the affidavit reads.
There, they discovered 56 more vacuum-sealed bags with marijuana in Minami’s luggage, according to DHS agents.
The affidavit states that in total, over 150 pounds of marijuana were seized from both Quesenberry and Minami.
Quesenberry and Minami were taken into custody and charged with the following:
- Conspiracy to export a controlled substance
- Attempted exportation of a controlled substance
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance
Court records show that Quesenberry and Minami pleaded not guilty following their indictment.
A jury trial for Quesenberry and Minami is scheduled for March 11 at 9 a.m.
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