US bride and caterer arrested for allegedly drugging guests with cannabis

Police in Florida has arrested a bride and her caterer after finding they allegedly added cannabis to food that was later served to wedding guests.

The arrests came some two months after officials were called to the wedding to assist guests who said they felt as though they had been drugged.

Danya Svoboda and caterer Joycelyn Bryan face charges of tampering, negligence and delivery of marijuana.

Officials made the arrests after testing food and drinks from the party.

The wedding occurred on 19 February in the city of Longwood, in central Florida.

Responding deputies wrote in their incident report that several of the 50 guests present reported “feeling weird,” after eating meatballs, Caesar salad, tortellini, and “bread with an olive oil and herb dip”.

Guests were complaining of stomach pains and vomiting. Several were transported to the hospital for treatment.

One guest told officers he “felt tingly, his heart started to race, and [he] was having crazy thoughts,” according to a police affidavit.

Another guest thought her son-in-law had died and that her family was keeping information from her. She was taken to hospital where she became “loud and unruly and had to be given something to calm down,” police say.

According to officials, Mrs Svoboda was asked by police at the scene whether she had allowed for drugs to be put into guests’ food and denied it.

One guest, Miranda Cady, said she witnessed a member of the catering staff adding “a green substance” to a dish that would later contain olive oil.

“It should be noted what Miranda Cady was referring to what is commonly referred to as marijuana ‘shake’ which is the small scraps that fall off of larger amounts of marijuana,” the affidavit states.

Ms Cady also claimed the bride admitted to adding cannabis to the olive oil while the pair were on the dance floor.

The caterer and her staff had left the party before police could question them at the scene.

Police left after collecting glassware and food to be tested, including chocolate-covered strawberries, pudding desserts, and lasagna.

Officials say that bread and lasagna later tested positive for THC, a psychoactive chemical in marijuana. Three guests also tested positive for the drug.

Mrs Svoboda and Ms Bryan were arrested on Monday. It is unclear if they have hired lawyers to represent them.

Medical cannabis is legal in Florida, but not the recreational use of the drug, unlike in some US states.