A 29-year-old Israeli national was taken into custody by law enforcement officials in Florida on February 17th, after a cross-agency response at PortMiami uncovered illicit material on his mobile device while he was disembarking from the RCI-Royal Caribbean vessel Freedom of the Seas. Federal and local agencies acted on information that had been relayed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, identifying suspicious activity tied to the purchase of child sexual abuse content.
Customs officers boarded the ship rather than waiting for normal passenger processing to conclude and conducted a border search of the suspect’s cellphone.
Documents from the Miami‑Dade County Sheriff's Office indicate that the search uncovered a video depicting the sexual assault of a young child. After being advised of his rights and questioned on board, the individual acknowledged possession of the material and was taken into custody. He was transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility, where he remained held on a bond of US$2500. Federal immigration authorities also placed an immigration hold against him pending consideration of potential prosecution or removal proceedings.
At the time of the incident, Freedom OTS was docked following completion of a short Caribbean sailing.
The arrest was executed in cooperation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Miami-Dade officers, reflecting established procedures for screening and enforcement at major maritime arrival points.
Authorities have not disclosed further details regarding any subsequent legal actions at the federal level.
For more Freedom of the Seas incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page.