A Department of Homeland Security auditor is concerned that United States customs officers may not be doing enough to quell the flow of drugs into the United States through cruise ship passengers.
A report released this week by the DHS Office of Inspector General found U.S. Customs and Border Protection could likely have greater success interdicting illegal drugs and contraband as ships return to U.S. ports if it put more effort into it.
“[CBP] conducts minimal secondary inspections on passengers and crew disembarking cruise ships to prevent illicit drugs and contraband from entering the United States,” the DHS OIG report states. “As a result, CBP may be missing opportunities to interdict these items, which could adversely affect public health and safety.”
The National Crime Prevention Council called the inspector general’s inspection of passengers valid and worthy of a stepped-up response from CBP.
“The reality is that the U.S. has thousands of points of entry, including cruise ships, terminals, international airports, postal intake facilities, and other locations where drugs make their way onto U.S. soil,” NCPC Executive Director Pau DelPonte said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “[CBP] should address these shortcomings. Beyond this oversight, a comprehensive 21st-century drug policy must address the manufacture, distribution, supply, and demand of illegal and counterfeit drugs.”
The auditors chose to look into how CBP inspects returning cruise passengers following recent years’ assessments from CBP field offices that cited a growing threat of drug contraband smuggling by way of cruises.
In 2023 and 2024, more than 53 million passengers boarded cruise ships in the U.S.
CBP’s San Juan, Puerto Rico, office had reported that Eastern Caribbean cruise routes were very busy and made for prime opportunities for drug smugglers to move their product.
U.S. customs officers have also called attention to busy cruise routes in Seattle and Miami. In Miami, CBP issued an intelligence bulletin in 2024 that stated “inbound drug smuggling in the cruise environment remains a prevalent threat in the Florida area of responsibility.”
DHS auditors traveled to seaports between June 2024 and April 2025 to watch as CBP screened passengers and goods.
Investigators found officers carried out “minimal” inspections among flagged passengers and crew, but could not disclose the exact numerical results of how many people were inspected because the information was redacted in its report.
CBP has agreed to the inspector general’s recommendation that it conduct a semiannual review of its tracking of the issue.
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Cruise Lines International Association, representing U.S. and foreign cruise lines, said its members are “strongly committed to the security of guests and crew.”
“Where evidence of potential illegalities is identified, operators are required to immediately involve the relevant security authorities/law enforcement and notify Flag State authorities according to applicable laws,” CLIA wrote in an email on Friday. “The cruise industry has a long history of coordination and partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”