Investigation found 27 cruise ship workers, including from Disney, engaged with child pornography, CBP says

U.S. newsInvestigation found 27 cruise ship workers, including from Disney, engaged with child pornography, CBP saysThe agency said the operation last month involved CBP officers boarding eight cruise ships. The 27 workers were deported, it said. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00The Disney Magic cruise ship sails in the Hudson River in 2022.Gary Hershorn / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 11, 2026, 10:57 PM EDTBy Joe Kottke and Dennis RomeroSAN DIEGO — Twenty-seven cruise ship workers, including some from the Disney Cruise Line, were deported after having engaged with child pornography, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The discovery was made last month, after CBP officers boarded eight cruise ships between April 23 and 27 as part of an ongoing child sexual exploitation material investigation, a CBP spokesperson said in a statement Monday.The spokesperson said the agency determined 27 of the 28 crew members interviewed “were involved in either the receipt, possession, transportation, distribution, or viewing of CSEM or child pornography,” and that their visas were canceled and they were deported to their home countries. Twenty-six of the crew members interviewed were from the Philippines, one was from Portugal and another was from Indonesia, the spokesperson said. The agency said it would not be releasing their names. The CBP did not indicate whether the crew members might be tried in U.S. courts. An FBI spokesperson referred questions about the possibility of prosecution to CBP.CBP did not immediately respond to questions about what prompted the operation.In a statement, a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said the company fully cooperated with law enforcement and that it has a “zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior.”“While the majority of these individuals were not from our cruise line, those who were are no longer wit...