Federal authorities boarded two cruise ships in Boston and arrested 11 people on suspicion of receiving and distributing child sexual exploitation and abuse material.
\n\nThe arrests occurred during an operation conducted between Friday and Sunday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. The cruise ships in question were Holland America Line’s Volendam and the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway.
\n\nNine of the arrested people are citizens of the Philippines, one is a citizen of Indonesia and another is a citizen of Nicaragua.
\n\nNone of their identities were released, and authorities did not say how many arrests occurred aboard each ship.
\n\nCBP and Homeland Security Investigations made the arrests after the subjects’ living quarters and electronic devices were searched.
\n\nAll 11 people were processed for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act for crimes involving moral turpitude, CBP said.
\n\nThe arrests were part of “Operation Tidal Wave,” an initiative the CBP and HSI are undertaking in coordination with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The operation targets crew members on cruise ships, but CBP did not say if the 11 people arrested in Boston worked on the ships.
\n\n“Protecting children from exploitation is…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business