‘Zero Tolerance’ Drug Policy Prompts Firm to Halt Late-Night Dance Cruises

Late-night rock and reggae dance cruises sponsored by Invader Cruises have been canceled because of concern that the boats could be seized under the federal government’s “zero tolerance” crackdown, which allows for confiscation of any vehicle or boat on which even a trace of illegal drugs is found.

Invader Cruises owner Larry Briggs said over the weekend that recent moves by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs Service to seize boats, including the $80-million research vessel Atlantis II, in San Diego waters have forced him to cancel the cruises on San Diego Bay.

“I can see the handwriting on the wall,” Briggs said. “I’m not about to risk losing any of my ships.”

Passengers Were Searched

The popular nighttime cruises have begun at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, when as many as 300 people boarded one of three ships--either the schooner Invader, the river boat San Diego Showboat or the motor yacht Diplomat--for a 2 1/2-hour trip around the bay. Passengers danced to records played by disc jockeys from local radio stations. XTRA-FM (91X) co-sponsored the cruises.

Briggs said passengers were searched by a security guard on the loading dock before they board, but those can’t be thorough enough to turn up the traces of illegal drugs that have allowed the government to seize ships and cars over the past several months.

“We’re trying to be as responsible as possible, and we don’t want to have any situation in which there’s a chance for citizens to violate the law,” he said.

Canceling the late-night events will deprive Invader Cruises of a “couple of thousand dollars” in revenue each week, said Eric Lund, the cruise line’s vice president. The cruises were to have continued through Labor Day, he said.

Lund said the firm will continue its popular dinner cruises, however, because “we can control the situation better.”

Would Be Prime Target

Dawn Gallagher, 91X promotions director, agreed that the cruises would be a prime target for federal agents under the zero tolerance program.

“With the type of vessels the Coast Guard has been boarding and confiscating, we feel these cruises are an easy target for them to make an example, and obviously that’s all they’re trying to do right now,” she said.

“That’s why there’s a lot of fear and concern. We’d like to continue sponsoring both the reggae and the rock music cruises through the summer season, but the radio station can’t monitor everyone bringing aboard a joint,” Gallagher said. “We can’t take financial and legal responsibility for the 300 people who go on these cruises.

“And, since all it takes is a fraction of a gram of marijuana, the potential risk is simply too great for us to not sit down (with Invader Cruises) and seriously think things over,” she said.

The zero tolerance program was begun as a pilot project by U.S. Atty. Peter K. Nunez in December, 1986, to attack the demand side of the drug problem. In the past couple of months, it was adopted nationwide by other federal agencies, particularly the Coast Guard and Customs Service.

Locally, the Coast Guard has used the program to impound two sailboats and two fishing boats, according to Lt. Cmdr. Rick Rooth. Last week, Customs officers seized the Atlantis II.

Not Taking Chances

On Friday, Coast Guard and Customs officials announced that they plan to modify the policy to avoid penalizing innocent boat owners whose passengers or crew members are found with minute quantities of illegal drugs.

But, until those plans are final, Briggs said, he isn’t taking any chances.

Meanwhile, competitor San Diego Harbor Excursion is considering whether it should dry-dock its Friday-night rock cruises, which are sponsored by radio station KGB-FM (101.5).

“At this stage in the game, I haven’t decided whether I’m going to (cancel) or not,” said owner Ron Dribben. “It’s a very difficult situation for all of us. It is extremely difficult for us to monitor people we don’t have any control over, or who are guests of people renting our boats.

“Obviously, it’s a big concern, but I think we’re going to take a wait-and-see attitude until we have the chance to meet with the local (Coast Guard) office and see what their feelings are,” Dribben said.

Cmdr. Rooth said worries by the owners of both cruise lines are unwarranted.

“I don’t know why they would cancel their cruises, because we haven’t stopped (vessels operated by) either one of them for at least a couple of years,” he said. “I have no idea why they would have any cause to be alarmed.”

Still, Rooth allowed that, should Coast Guard inspectors board an Invader Cruises or a San Diego Harbor Excursion vessel “on a routine safety stop” and find even a trace of drugs, the vessels would be liable for seizure and possible forfeiture.

“It’s against federal law to have drugs aboard ships, and the way the zero tolerance program now reads, we would only be doing our job,” he said.

Thomas K. Arnold is a frequent contributor to The Times’ Calendar section. Times staff writer Ralph Frammolino contributed to this story.