A Costa Cruises passenger who spent seven hours in Italian police custody after being mistaken for a wanted drug trafficking suspect is seeking compensation over the ordeal, which he says caused serious consequences for both himself and his family.
The 44-year-old passenger, identified by French media as Amir, was arrested during a Mediterranean cruise in March 2026 after authorities apparently connected his identity with that of a French-Tunisian man wanted under a European arrest warrant.
Amir, who lives in Toulouse, France, had departed Marseille on 1st March 2026 with his wife, three young children and 13 other relatives. The family had booked the cruise to celebrate a birthday.
The arrest took place in Palermo, Sicily, on 5th March, after the ship had arrived in the Italian port.
Although the ship has not been officially identified in reports about the case, itinerary information strongly indicates the family was travelling aboard Costa Smeralda. Cruise schedules show the Costa Cruises ship was sailing from Marseille during the relevant period and was in Palermo on 5th March.
The voyage had originally been scheduled to visit La Goulette in Tunisia, but strong winds reportedly forced that call to be abandoned before the ship continued towards Italy.
Passenger Held For Seven Hours
The case appears to have been triggered by similarities between Amir’s personal details and those of a man wanted in connection with drug trafficking offences.
Earlier reports said the wanted man shared Amir’s first name, surname and date of birth. However, Amir’s lawyer has subsequently disputed the extent of those similarities, saying other identifying information should have made clear that the passenger was not the suspect.
According to French newspaper La Dépêche du Midi, differences reportedly included the photograph, nationality and details surrounding the men’s births. Amir’s legal representatives argue that the information available before his arrest should have been sufficient to distinguish him from the wanted man.
Amir attempted to explain the mistake and produced identification documents, but communication was reportedly complicated by a language barrier.
His cabin was searched before he was subjected to an invasive body search and taken off the ship in handcuffs. He was escorted through the port in view of other passengers and crew before being taken to a police station.
French reports say he was warned during the process that he could potentially face 18 months in prison and a €1,800 fine.
It was only after fingerprints were taken that authorities established he was not the person named in the arrest warrant.
After around seven hours in custody, Amir was released and returned to the cruise ship in time to continue the voyage with his family.
While the legal mix-up had been resolved, Amir and his family say its effects continued long after he returned aboard.
Amir reportedly suffers from narcolepsy and says the stress aggravated his condition to such an extent that he required hospital treatment after returning to France.
His family has also linked the incident to a serious health emergency involving his father-in-law, who suffered a cardiac episode following the arrest. He was reportedly taken from the ship in a wheelchair and later admitted to a cardiology unit in Toulouse.
Costa Cruises Rejects Responsibility
Amir initially sought a full refund for the holiday as well as compensation for members of his family, according to La Dépêche du Midi.
He has since instructed Toulouse-based law firm Monferran et Associés as the dispute over responsibility continues.
His lawyer’s position is that the companies handling the booking possessed sufficient identification information about Amir to have prevented the confusion from escalating into an arrest.
Costa Cruises has disputed responsibility.
In a letter dated 8th April 2026, the cruise line said its crew had acted in accordance with instructions from the Italian authorities and rejected liability for what happened. French reporting also says the separate travel company Cruiseline had not responded to Amir’s claim by the time of the latest report.
Amir’s lawyer believes a compensation proposal could still be made before formal court proceedings become necessary.
The passenger is not pursuing a claim against the Italian authorities. His lawyer’s view is that officers acted on the information supplied to them rather than independently causing the mistaken identification.
The dispute therefore centres on whether more could have been done before the arrest to verify Amir’s identity and establish that he was not the person sought under the European arrest warrant.
Costa Cruises does have a formal complaints process for passengers, while its terms and conditions set out procedures for escalating complaints that are not answered within specified periods.
For Amir and his family, however, the claim goes considerably further than dissatisfaction with the cruise itself. They are seeking recognition and compensation for an incident that transformed a family celebration into several hours of detention and, they say, had lasting repercussions after the holiday was over.
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