Federal operation targets suspected abuse material among cruise ship workers
Agents reported 75 arrests involving workers aboard cruise ships that called at Boston during a one-month period.
Federal agents said 75 people suspected of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material were arrested while working aboard cruise ships that docked in Boston over the previous month. Caravia said authorities found no indication that the material was connected to children aboard the vessels.
The arrests were part of Operation Tidal Wave, a nationwide initiative targeting possession and distribution of such material among cruise ship workers. The operation is led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Boston agents began the operation in August and arrested dozens of foreign workers, including people from the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal and Nicaragua. Most were denied entry to the United States and removed, according to the supplied account.
Earlier activity in San Diego resulted in administrative enforcement actions against 27 crew members from six vessels. In San Juan, 14 crew members were removed and one case was accepted for federal prosecution. Caravia said the operation has no deadline and could expand to other vessels subject to CBP inspection, including cargo ships. Officers conduct inspections aboard ships because the Port of Boston lacks an official Federal Inspection Station.