February 12, 2011

It was billed as the biggest gay cruise in the world, perhaps just a little too tempting of a business venture for Steven Barry Krumholz, 51, from West Hollywood (Mar Vista), California.

Krumholz was arrested aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' Allure Of The Seas while the ship was in St.Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Allure Of The Seas had departed Port Everglades, Florida, on February 6, 2011.

Allure Of The Seas was chartered by Atlantis Events, which specializes in the gay and lesbian market. The sold-out weeklong sailing left from Ft. Lauderdale, visiting Nassau, Bahamas; St. Maarten; and St. Thomas. In St. Thomas is where things went wrong for Steven Barry Krumholz.

Customs and Border Protection agents boarded the ship Wednesday, February 9, 2011 and found drugs on another passenger, who alleged he had placed an order with Krumholz before the trip and picked the drugs up while on board, according to an affidavit submitted by one of the investigating agents.

Agents say they went to Krumholz's cabin, he wasn't there, so they entered and waited for Krumholz to come back to his cabin. While they were waiting CBP officers found 2.83 grams of methamphetamine, 142-1/2 ecstasy pills, a quantity of ketamine, $51,020 in cash, and a US Postal Service money order in the amount of $960 in his cabin.

The amount of money found in the cabin, may indicate the quantity of illegal drugs that were brought aboard by Krumholz. Now the question is, how did he get that much illegal product aboard Allure Of The Seas in the first place? In any case, it would be safe to say that this one cruise made Krumholz's year, business wise.

The custody of Krumholz, the narcotics, and currency were transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further proceedings.

Agents say while they were waiting for Krumholz to return to his cabin, two of his customers came by to pick up the drugs they had ordered before the cruise. How is it that so many people who knew about the cruise also knew to contact Krumholz for the illegal drugs?

Investigators are sure to get more leads after reviewing the video footage from Allure Of The Seas showing who was going in and out of Krumholz's cabin. There may be knocks on the doors of California homes for months to come.

West Hollywood property records indicate that Steven B Krumholz is connected to a business consulting service, Steven Krumholz Consulting and a cruise booking travel agency. Sbk (Steven Barry Krumholz) Travel both located at 3415 Grand View Blvd, Los Angeles, California.

On Facebook, Krumholz is friends with Atlantis Events owner Rick Campbell, perphaps something Campbell is regretting at this point in time. Campbell has been the head of Atlantis Events since 1990.

It's good to know at this point, the law enforcement doesn't need a search warrant to enter and search a hotel room or cruise ship cabin, only the permission of the owner. The owner in this case, was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's representative, the captain.

On Monday July 25, 2011, Krumholz pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced on November 2, 2011. He could receive a sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Methamphetamine increases the release and blocks the reuptake of the brain chemical (or neurotransmitter) dopamine, leading to high levels of the chemical in the brain—a common mechanism of action for most drugs of abuse. Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function. Methamphetamine’s ability to release dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the brain produces the intense euphoria, or “rush,” that many users feel after snorting, smoking, or injecting the drug.

Ecstasy is the chemical methyldioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA. MDMA is a synthetic substance that has both stimulant and hallucinogenic effects and is commonly used as a date rape drug.

Ketamine has a wide range of effects in humans, including analgesia, anesthesia, hallucinations, elevated blood pressure, and bronchodilation. Like other drugs of this class such as tiletamine and phencyclidine (PCP), it induces a state referred to as "dissociative anesthesia"and is used as a recreational drug.

Ketamine is primarily used for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, usually in combination with some sedative drug. Other uses include sedation in intensive care, analgesia (particularly in emergency medicine), and treatment of bronchospasm. It has been shown to be effective in treating depression in patients with bipolar disorder who have not responded to other anti-depressants. It is also a popular anesthetic in veterinary medicine. The black market street name for Ketamine is "Special K".

Ketamine as you may remember was in the bloodstream of cruise ship entertainer who jumped off a gay cruise, plunging into the harbor, later shot in the back by police.