The International Criminal Police Organisation for Africa has arrested over 2,500 individuals and rescued more than 3,000 people suspected to be victims of trafficking.
The organization revealed this on Wednesday, stating that a large-scale international operation focused on combating human trafficking resulted in these arrests.
The mission, dubbed “Liberterra II,” spanned six days from September 29 to October 4 and marked Interpol’s largest coordinated crackdown on human trafficking and migrant smuggling to date.
Conducted across multiple countries, this joint operation involved thousands of officers from global law enforcement agencies collaborating to disrupt trafficking networks and protect vulnerable individuals.
Those saved in the operation included minors forced into labour on agricultural farms in Argentina, migrants who were being exploited in nightclubs in North Macedonia, people coerced into begging in Iraq, and individuals made to work as domestic help in households throughout the Middle East, according to Interpol.
During the operation, raids were executed worldwide, leading to the identification and rescue of “3,222 potential victims of human trafficking and 17,793 irregular migrants,” Interpol reported.
The organization also heightened surveillance at strategic border points and monitored nearly 24,000 flights, positioning officers in trafficking and smuggling hotspots known for heightened activity.
Additionally, close to eight million screenings were carried out against Interpol’s databases, leading to 2,517 arrests, with 850 suspects facing charges specifically related to human trafficking or migrant smuggling, based on preliminary figures from the organization.
“In their relentless pursuit of profit, organised crime groups continue to exploit men, women, and children — often multiple times over,” Interpol’s secretary-general Jurgen Stock emphasized. “The results of this operation highlight the vast scale of the challenge facing law enforcement, underscoring that only coordinated action can counteract these threats,” he said.
