11 Cruise Ship Workers Arrested for CSAM and CSEM

Federal agents boarded two cruise ships in Boston and arrested 11 crew members this week as part of “Operation Tidal Wave”.

They were arrested for their part in the reception and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and child sexual exploitation material (CSEM).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Boston, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations Boston, HSI Fort Lauderdale, and the CBP Fort Lauderdale Human Trafficking Unit, boarded Norwegian Breakaway and Holland America Line’s Volendam to make the arrests.

While federal authorities did not state how many from each ship were arrested, they did report that it was nine citizens of the Philippines, one from Indonesia, and one from Nicaragua.

After federal agents boarded each ship, they searched the crew members’ cabin and their electronic devices.

After consultation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, all 11 individuals were processed for removal under Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for crimes involving moral turpitude.

“HSI is proud to stand with our colleagues at CBP to reaffirm our message: Anyone who possesses or transports child sexual abuse material is not welcome in the United States and will face serious consequences,” said HSI New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming. “Together, we leverage our unique authorities to seek justice for children victimized and exploited across the globe.”

The individuals were processed with the assistance of each cruise line and are scheduled to depart the United States.

The arrests were part of “Operation Tidal Wave”, a multiagency initiative led by the CBP Office of Field Operations Enforcement Operations Division, in coordination with HSI agents assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and NCMEC.

“Operation Tidal Wave” has now resulted in 53 cruise ship workers arrested on 11 cruise ships this year. 

Phase 1 took place in San Diego in April and resulted in 27 crew members from six cruise ships being processed and removed from the U.S.

Phase 2 took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in June and July and resulted in 15 crew members being arrested on three ships.

Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office Julio Caravia gave the following statement about the arrests:

“Protecting children from exploitation is among our highest priorities, and this operation demonstrates the critical role CBP officers play in identifying and stopping individuals who pose a threat to public safety. Through strong coordination with HSI, NCMEC, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to use every available authority to disrupt the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and prevent those involved from entering or remaining in the United States.”