U.S. authorities have arrested 28 cruise ship crew members during a large-scale operation targeting child sexual exploitation offences, with at least some of those detained employed aboard a Disney cruise liner.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, officers boarded five cruise ships docked in San Diego between April 23 and 25 as part of an ongoing investigation into child sexual exploitation material (CSEM).
Officials said the suspects — most of whom were from the Philippines, along with one crew member each from Portugal and Indonesia — were allegedly linked to the possession, distribution, transportation, receipt, or viewing of illegal child abuse content.
Authorities confirmed the individuals had their visas revoked and are being removed from the United States. Disney stated it had “zero tolerance” for such conduct and said the workers involved were immediately dismissed.
Passengers aboard the Disney Magic reportedly watched as several crew members were handcuffed by federal officers during the ship’s arrival in San Diego, with some travellers later revealing that detained staff included onboard service workers.
Disney cruise ship staffers among 28 arrested in massive child porn operation https://t.co/syY3rRMsNf pic.twitter.com/fPgTMXF5ZH
— New York Post (@nypost) May 7, 2026
wow, so detailed.