The fifth and final party of a 2008 cruise ship cocaine smuggling scheme, Claudie Anglin, was sentenced to over ten years in prison by a British judge on August 10, 2010.

On October 19, 2008, four men were arrested while disembarking the P&O Arcadia in Southampton, England, after completing at 23-day Caribbean and transatlantic sailing. The men, searched by customs officials, were found with a total of 44 pounds of cocaine strapped to their bodies – one of the largest documented cases of drug smuggling via cruise ship. The four smugglers, Calvin Hylton, 41; Briony Dyce, 25; Natalie Quinn, 26; and Camille Dupee, 19 each received prison sentences of 12 years back in January of 2009. 

Anglin, who was not a passenger aboard the Arcadia but was allegedly waiting at the cruise terminal for the other four members, appeared before the same court, admitting to his role in the scheme. Why this group of criminals chose a 23-day sailing on P&O Cruises, a line primarily known for catering to an older audience, remains a mystery. One would think that a younger, wilder cruise would be the more inconspicuous route. In fact, the authorities were tipped off by the ship’s security guard who found the group completely out of place amongst a sea of veteran travelers.

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