A case of mistaken identity turned the final morning of a Carnival cruise into a nightmare for one couple — when federal agents burst into their cabin, handcuffed a U.S. citizen, and removed him from the ship.
The man they took was Jose “Joey” Martinez, a Coast Guard veteran who says he was wrongly flagged simply because he shares a common name with someone wanted by authorities.
The Moment Everything Went Wrong
Jose Martinez and his wife, Tamara Verhas, were docked in Miami around 6:45 a.m., just hours before passengers were scheduled to leave the ship. Instead of a gentle wake-up call or hallway noise from early risers, they were jolted awake by loud banging. The door opened, and three agents dressed in black entered the room with flashlights, shouting commands.
“They ordered me out of bed and put me against the wall and handcuffed me. I had no idea what was going on,” Martinez said.
They called out his name, pushed him against the wall, and cuffed him while his wife watched in shock. Martinez says he couldn’t see clearly because of the lights in his face and didn’t even know who the men were at first. He complied immediately because he didn’t want the situation to escalate.
How a Name Turned Into a Problem
The reason all of this happened turned out to be surprisingly simple: his name.
Jose Martinez is a U.S. citizen from Phoenix and a former Coast Guard avionics technician who served from 1995 to 2001. He has TSA PreCheck, has passed multiple background checks, and had already provided his passport, date of birth, and citizenship details to the cruise line as part of the normal boarding and manifest process.
But “Jose Martinez” is also one of the most common names in the country — and in this case, it matched someone else who had outstanding criminal warrants for drug trafficking and other offenses.
That name match is what appears to have triggered the entire chain of events. During the routine pre-arrival review of the ship’s passenger manifest, Martinez’s name was flagged. Federal agents then coordinated with the ship’s security team to locate him onboard — before passengers had even begun to disembark.
For travelers, this is the part most people don’t realize happens behind the scenes. Cruise lines submit passenger information to U.S. authorities ahead of arrival, and that data is automatically cross-checked against law-enforcement databases and watchlists. If something “pings,” authorities don’t necessarily wait for you at the terminal. They can — and in this case did — come onto the ship.
Read more: Carnival Mardi Gras Passenger Arrested After Disturbing Video Found During Border Check
The Part That Really Shook People
Verhas — Martinez’s wife — began filming as soon as agents entered the room. She says a female agent jumped onto the bed to grab her phone. The phone was taken, and Martinez later said he was told it wouldn’t be returned unless the video was deleted — which he agreed to so his wife could get her device back.
Martinez was then escorted through the ship in front of other guests, taken off the ship, fingerprinted, and held in a port holding cell for about 90 minutes while officials verified his identity.
Eventually, authorities realized he was not the person they were looking for and released him. According to both Martinez and Verhas, there was no formal apology.
Carnival’s Response
Carnival confirmed that a guest was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and said the situation was handled by law enforcement, not the cruise line. The company did not comment on the details of the investigation itself, but said it was required to cooperate with federal authorities.
In practical terms, that means cruise lines don’t decide who gets detained or questioned — but they do have to comply when authorities request access to the ship, including to specific staterooms.
Why This Story Has Made People Uneasy
Most people will never experience something like this themselves. But this story has made many travelers uneasy because it shows how easily a routine cruise can be disrupted by something outside a passenger’s control.
A simple name match was enough to trigger a serious response. Martinez had valid documents, confirmed citizenship, and a clean record, and still ended up handcuffed and removed from the ship before the mistake was corrected.
That’s why the story has stuck with people. Yes, mistakes happen — but the idea of being woken up without warning, handcuffed, and removed from your cabin because of a simple mix-up is what makes this feel different.
The Takeaway for Cruisers
This incident shows how border and law-enforcement checks happen behind the scenes when ships enter or leave the U.S., often in ways passengers never see.
For most travelers, the takeaway isn’t to worry, but to understand how the system works. Passenger information is reviewed before arrival, and while mistakes are uncommon, they can happen. If something does go wrong, staying calm and cooperative — as Martinez did — is often the quickest way to get it resolved.
It’s an unusual case, but it’s one people are likely to remember, especially those who cruise often or are planning their next trip.
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Sadly, because of the MILLIONS of illegals who have been allowed into this country, it has become a HUGE job by Federal officials to try and fix this. No system is perfect and mistakes ARE going to happen. This gentleman did EXACTLY the correct thing and cooperated. It was reported he said he did not get a “Formal” apology. I’m not sure what his definition of that would be but I would be surprised if the agents did not apologize.