Recent reports unravel that two crew members, working for undisclosed cruise companies, have been apprehended for possessing illicit material involving minors. The apprehension took place yesterday at PortMiami, where they were taken into custody with such content discovered on their mobile devices, as per local Miami NBC News Station 6.
It was on Monday when Iputuagus Karnawan (lower portion) and Imadewisma Dana (upper portion), aged 28, were indicted at PortMiami.
Both individuals have been charged for having multiple images portraying child exploitation.
As reported by NBC-6, official arrest documents reveal that during routine inspections within the cabins, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent discovered videos containing materials deemed as “child exploitation” on their mobile devices. Subsequently, the two men were detained by the Miami-Dade Police. (Florida legislation empowers local law enforcement agencies to probe and state attorneys to litigate offenses occurring on cruise vessels which embark and debark in this state.)
NBC-6 disclosed that, following a hearing in the state criminal court, bail bond for each suspect was set at $2,500 per charge, totaling $12,500 for Dana and $10,000 for Karnawan.
Nevertheless, Dana and Karnawan, hailing from Indonesia as per reports, are currently under immigration custody.
In addition to this duo, eight other staff members of cruise ships have also been apprehended in recent months for similar offenses.
arrested on suspicion of possessing illicit materials involving child abuse since February: Iwayan Pasek Brahmantara, aged 32 (assistant waiter assigned to the Wonder of the Seas by Royal Caribbean), Komang Parianta, aged 33 (serving on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas), Tirso Anthony Neri, aged 44 (listed on the crew of the Disney Dream), Alvin Gonzalez, aged 49 (part of the crew on the Disney Dream), Amiel Trazo, aged 28 (serving on the Disney Dream), Jamaal Wade, aged 28 (employed as a dancer/performer by RWS Global aboard a Holland America Line cruise), and Dennis Ofrancia De Leon, aged 44 (serving on the Celebrity Reflection). Several crew members among them were discovered to be in possession of illegal images involving minors as young as two to five years old.
From the top left going down to the bottom right: Zin Naing Htun (Royal Caribbean), Iwayan Pasek Brahmantara (Royal Caribbean), Amiel Trazo (Disney), Anthony Gonzalez (Disney), Dennis Ofrancia De Leon (Celebrity), Komang Parianta (Royal Caribbean), Tirso Anthony Neri (Disney), and Jamaal Wade (RWS Global on a HAL vessel).
The notion that routine inspections of crew cabins led to the discovery of child exploitation material on their personal devices seems implausible. There is a possibility that some of them were involved in sharing illicit content. This might have prompted law enforcement to scrutinize their emails or social media profiles, potentially unveiling more individuals with deviant intentions on ships docking at U.S. ports in Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
The crucial query that arises concerns the cruise ships where these individuals were employed. Out of the recent arrests in the past five months, the implicated crew members were associated with cruise liners operated by Royal Caribbean (4), Disney (3), and Carnival Corporation (HAL) (1).
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Update as of June 5, 2024:
Image credit: Iputuagus Karnawan and Imadewisma Dana – Miami Dade County Mugshot Zone and Miami Dade Correction via NBC-6.
