Not So Child Friendly —Disney Cruise Staff Detained in San Diego During Multi-Ship Child Crime Operation

A massive child p--n sting was busted, resulting in 28 arrests, according to the New York Post.

According to law enforcement officials, five cruise ships, including a Disney cruise, docked in San Diego, were raided as part of the operation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A CBS spokesperson told The California Post that some of the staffers on board the Disney cruise were alleged child predators. The spokesperson said, “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 p--nography.”

The spokesperson added, “CBP canceled their visas, and these criminals are being removed from our country.” Passengers on board the cruise ship were shocked to see many of the staffers being arrested. They had boarded the ship with children hoping to make memories.

A Disney spokesperson said, “We have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement. These individuals are no longer with the company.”

Dharmi Mehta, who was one of the passengers aboard the Disney Magic ship, took a video when the staffers were getting arrested. The witness said that one of those arrested was her server.

Authorities revealed that the local police were not involved in the arrest.

A spokesperson for the San Diego port told NBC San Diego, “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.”

Several immigration rights groups protested against the arrests before it was revealed why they were detained. The groups claimed that four “seafarers” were also arrested on the Holland American MV Zaandam cruise ship.

In 2024, Tirso Neri, 44 at that time, was also arrested for alleged possession of child abuse material. Neri worked as a line worker for the Disney Dream. According to his arrest affidavit, two phones were recovered from his possession, showing evidence of child abuse material.

The same year, another Disney Dream cruise worker, identified as Amiel Joseph Trazo, was also arrested during a border check for alleged child p--nography possession.