Disney Cruise Employee Arrested in Child Exploitation Sting
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported the arrest of a staff member from a Disney Cruise ship during an operation aimed at suspected child sexual exploitation material (CSEM).
As stated by a CBP spokesperson, the arrests took place aboard a cruise ship docked in San Diego, with Disney employees being part of the 28 individuals detained. Between April 23 and April 27, authorities conducted interviews with 26 crew members from the Philippines, in addition to one each from Portugal and Indonesia, while boarding eight different cruise ships.
“Officers identified that 27 out of the 28 subjects were engaged in either receiving, possessing, transporting, distributing, or viewing CSEM or child pornography,” the spokesperson noted. Specifics varied across statements released on Thursday.
According to the announcements, CBP revoked the visas of the involved individuals, who were subsequently returned to their home countries.
A spokesperson for Disney Cruise Line responded to the situation, asserting their commitment to a zero-tolerance policy regarding such actions and emphasizing full cooperation with law enforcement. “The majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, and those who were are no longer with the company,” the statement continued.
A passenger aboard the Disney Magic, Dalmi Mehta, provided insights into the incident, mentioning that video footage appeared to show Immigration Bureau agents arresting several crew members. Mehta claimed that one of the arrested individuals was the primary server on the ship.
“Until they turned around, I couldn’t see that it said Customs and Borders, but it still said Police or Police Officer,” she recalled.
On May 7, Homeland Security Investigations confirmed that the arrests were part of “Operation Tidal Wave.” They noted that the arrests stemmed from information provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, targeting those suspected of involvement in child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The ages and identities of the personnel arrested have not been made public.
