Families hoping to make memories on a cruise were unknowingly surrounded by alleged child predators working aboard the ships, according to law enforcement officials.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection boarded five cruise ships, including a Disney cruise docked in San Diego, between April 23 and 25 as part of ongoing Child Sexual Exploitation Material enforcement operations, a CBP spokesperson told The California Post.
“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 CBP spokesperson said.
CSEM stands for child sexual exploitation material.
“CBP cancelled their visas and these criminals are being removed from our country,” the spokesperson continued.
It’s unclear which other ships the additional crew members may have worked on outside of Disney.
Passengers aboard a Disney cruise ship docking in San Diego were stunned as they documented multiple employees get arrested last month.
Vacationers watched as immigration officials cuffed several employees on the Disney Magic ship while it was being unloaded. Passenger Dharmi Mehta took a video of the moment, saying one of those detained was her server.
Prior to the news about what the arrests were allegedly for, several immigration rights groups have been up in arms about the Disney arrests, and also claimed four “seafarers” were arrested on the Holland America MV Zandaam cruise ship.
The port said local police were not involved in the arrest.
“The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department did not have any involvement in the reported enforcement actions on April 23 or April 25 at the B Street Cruise Terminal,” a spokesperson for the port told NBC San Diego.
