The casino ship, Niobe Corinthian, was raided by Police while it was docked in St. George's and ten people were arrested.

According to the Police around 3.30 a.m. on Sunday a search warrant was executed on the ship which was docked at Marginal Wharf, in St. George's.

Under the Liquor License Amendment Act 1998 and the Prohibition of Gaming Machines Act of 2004, the Police found people gambling and ten were arrested.

Among those arrested was a 23-year-old man, a 19-year-old woman, a 73-year-old woman, a 24-year-old man, two 56-year-old men, a 73-year-old man, a 33-year-old man, a 53-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man.

Also found and seized from the boat was a quantity of plant like material and a quantity of cash. A call to the lawyer for the boat's owners, Llewellyn Peniston was not returned.

And a 33-year-old man, John Jeffries, who appeared on a speeding charge in Magistrate's Court told the court he had been arrested on the gambling boat.

There was initial confusion in the court room as John Jeffries introduced himself as the administrator and creditor for the John Jeffries Corporation, and told the court: "I'm not John Jeffries."

Several minutes later, the defendant admitted that he was John Jeffries after all. He pleaded guilty to speeding at 62 miles per hour on August 10, 2005, at Kindley Field Road and was fined $250.

The Niobe Corinthian has been the centre of controversy over whether or not it breaks Bermuda's strict gambling laws since the plans for the ship were revealed in 2004.

When it finally arrived on the Island in the summer of 2006, the ship was raided by the Police and Customs officers and the captain and manager were accused of illegally importing 100 gaming machines.

A court case ensued and Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo found Panamanian Captain Fermin Alfonso Reyes and manager George Kezas from St. George's guilty.

Reyes was fined $15,000, while Kezas' sentence was delayed because the pair launched appeals against their convictions.

The owners, however, found legal loopholes which allowed them to operate outside Bermuda's territorial waters. But Niobe's bad luck continued when it caught fire before poor weather forced the postponement of its intended inaugural voyage in September last year.

Niobe's first voyage was then pushed-back to last November much to the chagrin of the churches and Former Premier Alex Scott.

In 2004, the Social Action Committee of the AME Church said it deplored what it described as "a brazen attempt by casino vessel backers to get around the law and introduce casino gambling to Bermuda".

And Mr. Scott said the money used by the gamblers could easily be their child's tuition money. Pro-gambling groups, however, argue Bermuda's laws are inconsistent as bingo and Crown and Anchor at Cup Match are allowed.