Cruise ship passengers sometimes try to smuggle things back into the country using a cruise ship, but this case was on a whole different level. Two women returning from a cruise raised eyebrows when they showed up at the Long Beach Cruise Port with 10 suitcases and a suspiciously calm attitude. Customs officers took notice and quickly uncovered why.

On April 17, 2025, after getting off a short cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, the women went through a customs inspection. Inside their luggage, CBP officers found a total of 749 cartons, or about 150,000 cigarettes. Brands included Marlboro Red, Newport, and Marlboro Gold. Even though they had receipts for the cigarettes, they didn’t have the proper permits or legal packaging required to bring them into the U.S.

Authorities believe the women bought the cigarettes cheaply overseas with plans to resell them illegally in the United States, where they could be worth close to $60,000. The law only allows travelers to bring back 200 cigarettes (or 100 cigars) for personal use. Anything more than that requires a special permit.

The names of the women and the cruise ship they arrived on haven’t been released. 

And the question remains: how did they get the cigarettes back on the ship in Ensenada?

Customs and Border Protection said the women cooperated during the inspection, which might have helped them avoid arrest for now. But that doesn’t mean they’re off the hook. The cigarettes were all seized and will be destroyed, and the pair may still face fines or criminal charges.

In the end, the pair wasn’t quite as clever as they thought. Because if there's one lesson to be learned here, it's this: you might get through embarkation with a smile and a suitcase, but you won’t outwit the eyes of the law at disembarkation, especially not when you're dragging ten bags full of contraband behind you.