Federal authorities arrest 11 foreign nationals aboard two cruise ships in Boston
CBP said the arrests followed searches conducted as part of Operation Tidal Wave.
Federal authorities arrested 11 foreign nationals after boarding Holland America Line’s Volendam and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway in Boston, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
CBP said the operation took place between Friday and Sunday. The agency accused those arrested of receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation material. CBP and Homeland Security Investigations carried out the arrests after authorities searched the subjects’ living quarters and electronic devices.
Nine of the arrested people are citizens of the Philippines, while one is an Indonesian citizen and one is a Nicaraguan citizen, CBP said. Authorities did not disclose their identities or specify how many arrests were made aboard each vessel.
All 11 were processed for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act in connection with crimes involving moral turpitude, according to CBP.
The arrests were part of Operation Tidal Wave, an initiative involving CBP, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.