Drug smugglers on a cruise ship? Shocking.

Oh boy, now unemployed!

Atlantis cruise on Allure of the Seas left from Miami on February 3. Shocking.

Oh no how are the boys gonna have fun now...?

Build a wall around the Lido Deck!

Surprised their bail was so low! Curious to follow this to see what the sentence will be

Arranging drug deals from ones Government-issue laptop over their secure network -- fucking unbelievable anyone could be that stupid. Hope this idiot never reproduces.

Too bad...about the drag queen stuff.

You should see how unbelievably PC the D.C. queens are tiptoeing around this story on social media. If you hint at anything negative about the circuit party drug culture you will get ripped to shreds for failing to be supportive of members of the community, especially since one is a person of color. Someone argued that illegal drugs are no different than alcohol. Somewhat true, but also somewhat beside the point. At any rate, who knew that selling large quantities of illegal drugs is now, apparently, a protected class. 🙄

I don't know these guys. I saw the drag queen perform when he won the Miss Adams Morgan Pageant a few years ago. I'm sure that they are nice people, and I'm sorry that they are about to be in for a world of hurt on many levels. But making plans to sell drugs from your government computer??? Yikes.

Their defenders want to overlook everything but the injustice of prohibiting the sale and use of illegal narcotics. Good luck with that. Any attempt to have a conversation about substance abuse in the gay community will get immediately shut down. Too bad.

to quote the great philosopher Mike Flynn, "lock those two faggots up" These two lowlifes deserve time in the pokey. They will present hole over and over and have a gay old time. Bye gurls

This one's cute, except in the circuit pictures. The handkerchiefs are just weird.

I wonder how much profit they would have made if they had sold everything.

They are lowlife drug pushers, they don't care how many lives they destroy with their product, only how much $ they make for themselves. Let them hit bottom with this and re-build their lives after some jail time Minorities do it all the time

I've said it before here and I'll say it again: I can't imagine a worse kind of hell than to be trapped at sea for 7 days with a bunch of drugged out, drunken queens hell bent on being "fabulous."

This story was on someone's Facebook page, and some of the comments were in defense of the black guy, who is claimed to be one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. That may be so, but he sure fucked up with that drug-selling plan.

They both look a bit "special".

Peter, Peter, Peter!

A bit of background about Peter.

Also Peter, Peter, Peter. I’ll pass.

As someone who has worked in and been around, but never got into circuit party culture... let me tell you, it’s not pretty. Over the years the drugs have gotten harder and harder. Crystal meth and G are the favorites these days. The scene is comprised mostly of middle aged roided out muscle queens with purses falling out of their mouths all fucked up on G wearing ridiculous outfits and dancing to awful off key mixes of pop songs that teenage girls listen to. And if you DARE try to judge their scene because, y’know, people are dropping dead at these parties from overdosing on GHB, they’ll rip you apart and tell you they are a loving bunch who just wanna dance and live their best lives and drinking alcohol is no different than a 3 day crystal meth bender and don’t do dare judge them!

Tragic, why hasn't the gay me too movement destroyed their drugged up asses

They will all end up in govt paid HASA apartments selling their infected asses on Grindr.

My partner and friends talked me into a seven day Atlantis cruise from Long Beach to Cabo....there was a circuit party every single night. I went for the first 20 minutes then would excuse myself and go to the piano bar which was very nice. We sang Broadway songs and sipped wine. I was the youngest in the piano bar at 45, but enjoyed it. I knew I’d never last at those all night circuit parties! Also enjoyed the shows after dinner....Bernadette Peters performed in one. However I’d never spend the money again.

r19 you don't die from a GHB overdose trust me I know. GHB is hard to overdose on. Typically what happens is people take some, feel no effects take more and the effects of the first dose kick in and now they are babosa, a sloppy drunk. The problem comes when they mix the drugs. Molly and G are a bad combo. People take G because it gives you the same effect as having a few drinks without the calories. A higher dose will put you to sleep.

all that being said look at the amounts - they didn't have a lot of anything. I am sure they planned on being the most popular kids on the cruise but hardly the drug dealers they are being painted out to be. How stupid do you have to be to use your work computer to set all this up though. Jesus.

I'm actually glad I have to ask this, but what kind of a drug exactly is "G"? Never heard about it before.

[quote]The affidavit says a DHS special agent informed police that DHS intercepted an email exchange between D.C. residents and roommates Peter Melendez, 36, and Robert Koehler, 27, in which the two men allegedly conspired to smuggle drugs on board the cruise ship

Wait, so the police are reading our emails all the time without our permission?

r24 - GHB - G it is not a drug it is a carbohydrate found in the body. In a small dose it has the same effects as a few drinks, a little tipsy, lower inhibitions etc. A stronger dose can induce deep rem sleep (bodybuilders use it to get that deep sleep for muscle recovery) It was a way to get drunk without the calories.

r25 one of the guys was using a government computer - he worked for the government but pretty much if you use a work computer they have the right to read your emails.

R23 I agree. So low level. Brought a bunch of drugs on board so the party would never end. Smuggling? Right. And I'm sure they've done this many times before. Probably a fluke that they got caught. Crack down day at the port.

Going to work on Monday when I could have been going on the Atlantis cruise this week." #stagesofgrief

[quote] Probably a fluke that they got caught. Crack down day at the port.

Not a fluke and not crack-down day at the port. They got caught because one of them used his government-issued computer to make arrangements about bringing drugs on the ship. Stupid beyond all belief. Every single time that you log on to those computers it says that they are subject to monitoring.

And, R19 is correct:

[quote] And if you DARE try to judge their scene because, y’know, people are dropping dead at these parties from overdosing on GHB, they’ll rip you apart and tell you they are a loving bunch who just wanna dance and live their best lives and drinking alcohol is no different than a 3 day crystal meth bender and don’t do dare judge them!

Why are most "out" homosexuals on drugs?

What government agency did he work for?

The one on the right is quite nice.

[quote] What government agency did he work for?

Hard to believe, but the Department of Homeland Security.

Not so hard to believe...the level of corruption is ridiculous in DHS and other federal agencies. Drugs mean money, lots of it...so sometimes an agent will get a side hustle going on with some dealers.

Peter is also ex-military.

Re: online security. I work for a mid-size company (3000 employees) in the US whose stock traded on the NYSE and we hold various US government contracts but we are not considered a government contractor.

My company's HR policy states that employees have no right to assume their communications over company-issued computers, laptops, tablets or cell phones are "private", and that the company reserves the right to review or monitor all communications including emails and text messages. It encourages employees to use their own laptops or phones for personal matters.

So if you use Google and Gmail as example, do not sync those programs across all devices. If you were to check Gmail on your company-issued device, your employer would be within their rights to monitor those communications. Or if you go to your Google account, all your bookmarks are there if you synced across all devices.

There are so many industries where this would be viewed as a plea for rehab - to be followed by a welcome home binge in Palm Springs.

I’m more offended by the choice of venue than their stupidity. Young meat should avoid cruises!

They look dissipated to me, not "nice".

Please let me know which prison they'll be sent to.

Asking for a friend.

[quote]Also enjoyed the shows after dinner....Bernadette Peters performed in one.

Was it Bernadette Peters or a drag queen version of her?

Peters IS a drag queen version of herself.

R8, I'm a DC gay too and totally curious who you are now.

I agree with your comment about how crazy the DC gays are acting about this on Facebook. Sure, many of us know one or both (I know one of them very casually), but the level of faux outrage going on right now on social media about calling this out is quite something.

I'm sure that several men were saved from being roofied/raped on that cruise because these two were apprehended. Very, very dumb.

Also, Peter Melendez is formerly fat.

Note to self when I want to commit a felony: never put anything in writing.

There are a lot of upset guys on that ship. Now they don't have any party favors for their vacation.

Dumb meth whores.

Peter Melendez's drag persona is named Amanda LaMancha.

Talk about exciting and new!

Draggity Phaggity Boo!

You're going down't the shoo!

r42 - they didn't have roofies so no rape.

Isn't "G" used as a date-rape drug? I have no clue about drugs at all so I have no idea, but I thought that it could be slipped into people's drinks to create instant drunkenness/blacking out/passing out.

r50 nope G is not something you can slip into a drink unless the person is used to drinking paint thinner. GBL the precursor to GHB and what most people take has a horrid chemical taste that even a very few Mls will make anything taste like shit. GHB is the converted carbohydrate and it is just as nasty. The liquid alone can be slimy and super salty tasting. It is hard to mask it. It also is not an easy thing to dose. It depends on body mass, metabolism etc. One person's small dose might be a strong does for another. Saying G is a date rape drug is like saying Vodka is a date rape drug.

Thanks for the explanation, R51. I really had no idea.

[quote]Isn't "G" used as a date-rape drug?

Well, her movies do often have the effect of putting people into a coma-like state.

R42 -- when we finally have that long-awaited DC Datalounge get together at Pitchers all will be revealed. 😉

Yes, FB in particular has been crazy. One of the people quoted in the Blade article has been crucified for talking to the media. His critics have been brutal -- and he was making a positive statement about circuit culture.

Can't wait to meet you at Pitchers, R42! I was actually thinking of heading there after work for a drink. It's been a long fucking week.

I'm going straight to the Blade article to see who you're talking about...

Oh god, of course it's fucking Lane Hudson quoted in the article. She never met a microphone or reporter she didn't want to swan dive in front of.

Truth. R56. 😉

Can someone post one of those DC threads? I wanna read em.

GBL has a nasty nasty taste that somehow evokes the fake cherry flavor of Coca-Cola Cherry. But nasty instead of nice. Still 10 years later I cannot drink Cherry Cola because it triggers me.

GHB is salty and may be hidden in very sweet drinks.

GHB and alcohol is the worst possible combo: you'll be throwing up all over the place even if you underdose the G and only have a beer.

You can die of a GHB overdose if you go to sleep/gets comatose and then vomit: you can die from aspiration.

They should let these dumb circuit queens do all the drugs they want and let Darwinism take its course.

What is the maximum amount of time these guys could get? I assume the sentence becomes larger once you factor in multiple states/countries that the drugs are being passed through. I'm not familiar with "Allure of the Seas" (I'd rather go to a Trump Inauguration than be stuck on a cruise ship for a week with a bunch of gays), but does it travel internationally?

I believe that these are state charges in Florida. They never got on the ship and never left the port. On their own, these quantities are too small to warrant federal charges.

If they get a decent lawyer they should be able to plead the distribution and conspiracy charges down to possession. Not sure what kind of time they could be looking at. A Florida lawyer is in a better position to know that.

Never understood G. MDMA yes - clear sensation of happiness because it targets brain chemical. But G always seemed like a stupid drug.

r63 G was actually sold as a supplement in the 90's You could buy it in any healthfood store. Taken in proper doses it can relax you and in some other countries was used to treat alcoholism. G is now sold as Xyrem to treat narcolepsy due to it's ability to induce deep rem sleep. It was and is popular because it give you the euphoria of a few drinks from a small capful of liquid, wears off in a few hours and is non-toxic to the body. Sex on G can be great, all the giddiness of being drunk with no whiskey dick.

[quote]My company's HR policy states that employees have no right to assume their communications over company-issued computers, laptops, tablets or cell phones are "private", and that the company reserves the right to review or monitor all communications including emails and text messages. It encourages employees to use their own laptops or phones for personal matters.

What if you use your own laptop or phone on the company’s WiFi?

You can get dependent on GHB as you can be on alcohol. I had a friend of mine, an escort, who started taking G to be able to perform with whatever he had to deal with (the Johns are not always models...), that got badly addicted to it, dependent on it, and had to take GHB every 3 hours to keep the DTs at bay and be able to sleep or be functional.

Like R63, I'd say MDMA all the way, if it were not for "suicide Tuesday", the delayed MDMA hangover when you're running so low on serotonin that you're fucking depressed, anxious and jumpy as a virgin at a prison rodeo. Bad in a professional setting!

Wasn't GHB George Michael's drug of choice?

My best-looking male cousin who was/is a prostitution whore pill head who preys upon college girls who hate their parents.

His favorite drug is GHB.

I’m still not sure what he was on when he called, but he’s still angry with his folks and he’s headed towards 50.