9 Filipinos among 11 arrested in US cruise ship crackdown

NEW YORK — Nine Filipinos were among 11 foreign nationals arrested by US Customs and Border Protection under "Operation Tidal Wave," a crackdown targeting the suspected receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation material linked to cruise ships.

According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the arrests were carried out from Friday through Sunday aboard Holland America Line's Volendam and Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Breakaway while the ships were docked in Boston.

Aside from the nine Filipinos, authorities also arrested an Indonesian and a Nicaraguan.

Authorities said investigators recovered evidence related to the alleged receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation material after searching the individuals' living quarters and electronic devices.

The operation is part of an intensified campaign by the US Department of Homeland Security against suspected child exploitation activities involving cruise ship crew members.

According to CBP, the 11 individuals arrested were placed in removal proceedings from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act for alleged offenses considered crimes involving moral turpitude.

Authorities have not released the identities of the nine Filipinos or the two other foreign nationals. They also did not disclose how many arrests were made aboard each cruise ship.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. has yet to issue a statement regarding the status of the arrested Filipinos. — VDV, GMA News