Credit: huan yu, UnsplashA group of 28 Disney annual passholders has been arrested after a police investigation.
Being a Disney passholder comes with plenty of perks, from unlimited visits (with potential reservation restrictions, depending on the pass in question) and merchandise and dining discounts to exclusive previews, special events, and occasional limited-time offerings. However, Disney also expects guests to abide by the typical park rules, such as following park etiquette, respecting cast members, and complying with the resort’s code of conduct.
Disney has previously proven that it’s willing to rescind a guest’s annual pass if these expectations are not met. Back in 2018, the Orange County Register reported that Disneyland Resort was pulling the passes of those who purchased and resold park merchandise. This practice is still ongoing. Earlier this year, a guest had their Magic Key revoked – then later reinstated – after being falsely accused of buying and reselling merchandise.
Even more recently, Disney recruited local police after noticing a disturbing trend among passholders.
Ring of 28 Disney Passholders Arrested
According to Daily Economic News, a gang of 28 passholders was recently arrested.
The mass arrests came after security at Shanghai Disneyland noticed a concerning trend. Multiple guests were stopped while exiting gift shops, where they were found to have taken merchandise without paying. All of the guests in question claimed to have “forgotten” to pay for the items.
In early March, Shanghai Disneyland’s security manager reported the incident to the Pudong Public Security Bureau’s International Tourism and Resort Area Management Branch. The department discovered that all of the guests in question had a Shanghai Disneyland Annual Pass.
Police subsequently reviewed CCTV footage from the theme park and identified members of three criminal gangs. On March 12, authorities arrested 28 individuals. Investigators later determined the group had been stealing popular dolls from the park to resell.
They focused on limited-edition plush toys with an official price of about 300 yuan ($44). After taking them, the suspects allegedly resold the items to tourists nearby for roughly 30 yuan ($4) each — a fraction of the retail cost. Police say the three groups are linked to more than 100,000 yuan ($14,500) in illegal proceeds.
Local police have since warned the park that it needs to tighten its internal security measures, such as increasing the number of internal patrols and improving merchandise management mechanisms. Police have also asked visitors to report suspected theft or guests offering suspiciously low-priced items to Disney cast members or the police.
The Recurring Issue of Theft at Disney
Theft is not uncommon at Disney parks, although incidents on this scale are far less typical.
Earlier this week, a 27-year-old Florida resident was arrested on suspicion of grand theft for stealing 50 Disney Trading Pins, valued at approximately $900, from a merchandise location in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort.
In September, the shopping and dining district became the setting for a more unusual crime.
A burglar wearing a scuba suit reportedly swam across the water to reach Paddlefish, the floating seafood restaurant designed to resemble a classic riverboat docked at The Landing. He then entered the manager’s office, where two Paddlefish employees were conducting their nightly cash count. The suspect forced them into a corner, instructed them to close their eyes, and tied them up before escaping with between $10,000 and $20,000 in cash within minutes.
Within the theme parks themselves, police were summoned to Magic Kingdom for a suspected case of grand theft in December. That same week, they were summoned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the same crime.
Have you ever witnessed a crime at Disney?