ADisney cruise shipdocked in San Diego became the focus of a major child sexual exploitation material operation when US federal officers arrested crew members from the vessel, as stunned families sought safety for their children on Disney cruises.
According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Disney Cruise Line employees were among 28 crew members detained across five ships as part of a three‑day child pornography enforcement sweep in late April.
CBP said it had cancelled the visas of all the detained crew members and that they were being removed from the United States.
The reports came after holidaymakers on theDisney Magicwatched immigration officials escort multiple crew members away in handcuffs at the city's B Street Cruise Terminal between 23 and 25 April as passengers filmed the scene from the dock, initially with no explanation of what they were witnessing beyond an unexpected and unsettling end to their holiday.
CBP confirmed later that the arrests were linked to child sexual exploitation material (CSEM).
CBP officers boarded five cruise ships, including the Disney vessel, as part of what the agency described toThe California Postas ongoing CSEM enforcement operations. A CBP spokesperson said officers interviewed 26 suspected crew members from the Philippines, one from Portugal and one from Indonesia.
Disney cruise ship staffers among 28 arrested in massive child porn operation.“After boarding the vessels and interviewing 26 suspected crew members from the Philippines, one suspected crew member from Portugal, and one from Indonesia, officers confirmed all subjects were…pic.twitter.com/hxmVWf35aR
'After boarding the vessels and interviewing 26 suspected crew members from the Philippines, one suspected crew member from Portugal, and one from Indonesia, officers confirmed all subjects were involved in either the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of CSEM or child pornography,' the spokesperson said.
The statement did not specify how long the suspects had allegedly been accessing or sharing the material, nor whether any of the conduct occurred on board the ships rather than on personal devices or during shore leave.
🚨ICE AGENTS ARREST DISNEY CRUISE CREW IN SAN DIEGO PORT RAIDPassengers watched as federal agents detained workers while the Disney Magic ship was unloading at a California dock.One traveler said crew members were taken in their chef and waitstaff uniforms, handcuffed and…pic.twitter.com/spBhUe5UUr
Source: International Business Times UK
