Interpol announced on Wednesday, November 6, that it had carried out its “The largest operation against human trafficking” until today. More than 2,500 people were arrested and more than 3,000 potential victims were rescued worldwide between September 29 and October 4, the international criminal police organization said in a statement.
the operation “Liberterra II” permitted “to rescue 3,222 potential victims”including minors forced to work on farms in Argentina, migrants in nightclubs in Macedonia, beggars in Iraq, domestic workers in the Middle East. Besides, “17,793 irregular migrants” were identified.
During the week, a total of 2,517 arrests were made, of which 850 specifically referred to human or migrant trafficking, Interpol added, specifying that these are preliminary results.
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“Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are increasingly linked to other forms of crime, often using the same criminal networks and routes”underlined the organization, a superposition that “amplifies the profits and power of organized criminal groups”.
The operation thus made it possible to discover online scam centers that exploit trafficking victims. In the Philippines, police raided a warehouse where more than 250 people, mostly Chinese, were involved in emotional scams on an industrial scale.
“In many cases, victims are lured by false promises of employment and kept there through intimidation and abuse.”announces the press release. In Mali, the operation identified 24 Togolese women held against their will and forced to participate in a business scheme, after being lured by the promise of employment abroad.
In Costa Rica, a female cult leader was arrested for child exploitation, forced labor, and physical and psychological violence. In Brazil, an investigation into a drug trafficking network established that its members also worked as smugglers to the United States.
“In their relentless pursuit of profit, organized crime groups continue to exploit men, women and children, often repeatedly.”lamented the Secretary General of Interpol, Jürgen Stock, for whom “Only coordinated action can counter these threats”.
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Stock, who is ending his second and final term at the head of Interpol, must give way to Brazilian Valdecy Urquizava at the organization’s annual general meeting currently being held in Glasgow.
