A shocking federal operation at the Port of San Diego has exposed yet another disturbing case involving cruise ship employees and child exploitation material — and this time, Disney Cruise Line workers were reportedly among those caught up in the investigation.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 28 cruise ship employees from three different countries were detained and interviewed as part of a major child exploitation sting. Authorities said 27 individuals were found to have participated in the “receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing” of child sexual exploitation material or child pornography.
The suspects included 26 individuals from the Philippines, one from Indonesia, and one from Portugal. Their visas have now been revoked, and deportation proceedings are underway.
While officials did not specify exactly how many of the suspects worked for Disney Cruise Line, the company confirmed that some of the individuals involved were employed by them.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement,” Disney said in a statement. “While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer with the company.”
Good. Because parents taking their children on what’s supposed to be a family vacation probably didn’t expect federal agents escorting crew members off ships in handcuffs to be part of the entertainment package.
One passenger, Dharmi Mehta, described the scene as deeply unsettling after recognizing one of the workers arrested during the operation.
“He was full in uniform, which was in a blazer, tie. Some of the other employees were still in their chef’s uniforms with their name tags on it,” she told the California Post.
The arrests highlight the growing efforts by federal authorities to crack down on child exploitation networks and remove offenders from entering or remaining in the United States. And frankly, Americans are tired of hearing excuses from corporations and institutions that somehow always seem “shocked” after these cases surface.
At least in this case, law enforcement acted swiftly, the suspects are being deported, and the individuals involved are no longer employed. That’s exactly how this kind of evil should be handled — immediately, aggressively, and without apology.