Interpol says over 2,500 arrests in human trafficking crackdown

The week-long raids were Interpol’s biggest-ever operation against human trafficking and people smuggling – Copyright AFP Ozan KOSE

Interpol said Wednesday that a six-day international police operation against human trafficking had led to more than 2,500 arrests and the rescue of over 3,000 potential victims.

The operation, called “Liberterra II”, took place between September 29 and October 4 and was the largest-ever operation against human trafficking and people smuggling by the global law enforcement organisation.

People rescued included minors forced to work on farms in Argentina, migrants in nightclubs in North Macedonia, people coerced into begging in Iraq or to serve in private households across the Middle East, Interpol said.

Raids led to the rescue of “3,222 potential victims of human trafficking and identified 17,793 irregular migrants”, it said.

In addition to police raids, authorities also reinforced strategic border points, monitored nearly 24,000 flights and deployed officers to known trafficking and smuggling hotspots, said the organisation, which is based in Lyon, France.

Nearly eight million checks were carried out against Interpol’s databases, and a total of 2,517 arrests were made during the week, of which 850 were specifically on human trafficking or migrant smuggling charges, according to the organisation’s preliminary figures.

“In their relentless pursuit of profit, organised crime groups continue to exploit men, women and children — often multiple times over,” said Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock.

“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.