As festival-goers ready to set sail for Groove Cruise in late-January, authorities arrested a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Workplace Deputy for allegedly possessing, promoting and trafficking medicine, WSVN 7News stories.
Legislation enforcement officers say they discovered Francisco Melo had plans to distribute MDMA throughout the four-day competition aboard Royal Caribbean’s Attract of the Seas. In keeping with an arrest warrant, investigators used a confidential informant to buy MDMA from Melo previous to his arrest.
The undercover officer revealed that Melo meant to deliver his illicit stock onto the ship in a Skittles packet, disguising the medicine as sweet to evade detection. Detectives reportedly arrested him at PortMiami, the place they found 60 MDMA tablets in his baggage.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz condemned Melo’s actions.
“Narcotics don’t simply hurt those that use them, they devastate households, and gasoline crime,” Cordero-Stutz mentioned in an announcement. “The actions of this particular person are a betrayal of the general public belief and of all of the deputies who work tirelessly to guard our neighborhood.”
Groove Cruise, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary final 12 months, has change into a staple of the digital dance music competition scene. The occasion’s 2025 version passed off January 23-27 and featured headlining performances by Eric Prydz, Seven Lions, James Hype, MEDUZA and Nicole Moudaber.
