Cruise passenger faces drug-trafficking charges after Port Tampa Bay screening
Authorities said hundreds of pills and nearly $27,000 were found in Brandan Swan’s luggage following a cruise from Cozumel.
Brandan Swan, 50, faces felony drug-trafficking charges after authorities seized prescription pills and nearly $27,000 in cash from his luggage following a cruise, officials announced.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Swan was arrested in Orange County, Florida, on October 10 under an active warrant. The warrant resulted from a joint investigation involving the sheriff’s office and the Homeland Security Investigations Maritime Task Force.
Authorities said the case began on March 19, 2026, after Swan disembarked from a cruise ship that had returned to Port Tampa Bay from Cozumel, Mexico. Crew members reported that he appeared heavily intoxicated and requested medical assistance.
Following medical care, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers screened Swan. Officials said he told officers he had swallowed pills. A declaration form he completed listed 545 unidentified pills and almost $27,000 in U.S. currency, all of which authorities found in his bags.
Laboratory results returned in August identified the pills as containing oxycodone and alprazolam, according to investigators, who said Swan lacked a valid prescription for either medication.