Federal officials busted a child porn ring involving cruise ship workers at a port in San Diego, resulting in the arrest of nearly 30 foreign-born workers, including Disney Cruise Line employees.
Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the arrests on Thursday and said 27 cruise ship employees from three different countries were taken into custody.
They were found to be in possession of or involved with the distribution of child pornography, with several working for a cruise line that caters to families and children.
Some of the suspects were dragged off the Disney cruise ship while it was filled with guests.
The California Post spoke to a passenger and witness, Dharmi Mehta, who described the arrests as “really unsettling.” One worker was her server during the five-day trip.
Disney cruise ship employees were detained during an ongoing child porn investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
CBP says it boarded boarded eight cruise ships between April 23 and 27 and interviewed 28 suspected crew members. Twenty-seven of them either received,… pic.twitter.com/VuTwG3QyVy
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 11, 2026
“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,” Mehta said, told the outlet.
Investigators did not disclose on Thursday whether any charges have been filed in connection with the probe. CBP said the suspects’ visas were revoked, and they would be deported to their respective countries.
CBP arrested the workers off eight different ships between April 23 and 27 as part of ongoing child sexual exploitation material enforcement operations, federal officials said in a statement and reported by several news outlets.
Officials did not say how many in the group worked for Disney Cruise Line, Fox News Digital reported.
The suspects were not identified. Officials said they included 26 crew members from the Philippines, one from Portugal and one from Indonesia.
CBP officials said 27 were found to have taken part in the “receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of [child sexual exploitation material] or child pornography.”
The Los Angeles Times confirmed a Disney Cruise Line ship was among those that were boarded and employees were detained in connection with the investigation.
A Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said in a statement the workers had been terminated and the company cooperated with law enforcement.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior and fully cooperated with law enforcement,” the statement read. “While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer with the company.”
In other border enforcement news out of San Diego, U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a $1.5 million dollar cocaine smuggling incident in late April.
“The vigilance of our agents, the capability of our K-9 teams, and our strong partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration were all instrumental in keeping these drugs off our streets and protecting our communities,” CBP shared on social media.
San Diego Sector U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a $1.5 million dollar cocaine smuggling incident!
“The vigilance of our agents, the capability of our K-9 teams, and our strong partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration were all instrumental in keeping these drugs… pic.twitter.com/EBzw2bksJM
— CBP (@CBP) May 7, 2026
On April 28, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Ports of Entry thwarted two separate smuggling attempts, seizing more than 225 pounds of cocaine and discovering a woman hidden in a vehicle’s dashboard, CBP shared in a news release.
In the human smuggling attempted, a 20-year-old male driving a Toyota Camry was found with a 31-year-old female Chinese national hidden in a non-factory compartment in the dashboard.
“Smugglers will go to creative and dangerous lengths to move narcotics and people across the border,” San Diego Director of Field Operations Sidney K. Aki said. “But our officers are even more determined. Their commitment to discovering these smuggling attempts, no matter how concealed, is essential to keeping our communities and neighborhoods safe.”
