Over 20 cruise ship employees have been arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) due to a child exploitation case at the San Diego port. Among those detained were workers from Disney Cruise, although the exact number of Disney employees involved remains uncertain.
The investigation involved interviewing 28 individuals from three countries, specifically 26 from the Philippines, one from Indonesia, and one from Portugal. Out of these, 27 were implicated in activities relating to the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of child sexual exploitation materials, according to CBP.
Disney responded to the situation, asserting their zero-tolerance policy regarding such conduct. They mentioned that most of those arrested were not part of their staff, and the few who were are no longer employed by the company.
During the operation, from April 23 to April 27, CBP officers searched eight cruise ships at the Port of San Diego, looking for the suspects involved in the case. Furthermore, one suspect had his visa revoked and is slated for deportation.
Dalmi Mehta, a passenger on one of the affected ships, expressed her shock, saying it was “really disturbing” to see arrests taking place. She recalled one of the arrested employees served her during her five-day trip while in uniform.
The Port of San Diego clarified that they are not involved in any law enforcement actions, and local laws prevent collaboration with federal immigration authorities.
