GLASGOW, United Kingdom – INTERPOL today is releasing preliminary results of its largest-ever operation against human trafficking and migrant smuggling, carried out across 116 countries and territories. Operation Liberterra II (29 September to 4 October) led to the rescue of 3,222 potential victims of human trafficking and identified 17,793 irregular migrants. Authorities around the world conducted police raids, reinforced strategic border points, monitored nearly 24,000 flights and deployed officers to known trafficking and smuggling hotspots. Globally, nearly 8 million checks were carried out against INTERPOL’s databases.

The operation saw an unprecedented level of support from 15 specialized units from INTERPOL’s General Secretariat, partner organizations, national agencies and NGOs. Operational coordination units were set up in Argentina, Senegal, the Philippines and North Macedonia to assess intelligence and facilitate cooperation between countries within their respective regions and beyond.
A total of 2,517 arrests were made during the week – 850 of which were specifically on human trafficking or migrant smuggling charges.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said: “In their relentless pursuit of profit, organized crime groups continue to exploit men, women and children —often multiple times over. While still preliminary, the results of this operation highlight the vast scale of the challenge facing law enforcement, underscoring that only coordinated action can counteract these threats.”

INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh said: “Beyond providing a snapshot of global trafficking and migration trends, the operation served as a vital capacity building opportunity for countries, fostering relationships between specialized units, and enhancing cross-agency collaboration.”

Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling: A Growing and Evolving Threat

The week-long operation uncovered dozens of cases in which trafficking victims were deceived and coerced into committing fraud, marking a clear departure from traditional trafficking patterns, where human exploitation is the sole criminal objective. Targeting online scam centres using human trafficking victims has been an operational priority since INTERPOL issued an Orange Notice warning its membership of this growing and globalizing trend. In many of these cases victims are lured with false promises of employment and are kept there through intimidation and abuse.

In the Philippines, for example, officers raided a warehouse where more than 250 people, mostly Chinese nationals, were running romance scams on an industrial scale. Officers are now combing through seized devices and carrying out interviews to separate the potential victims of trafficking from members of the criminal enterprise.

On the other side of the world, in West and Central Africa, officers uncovered eight separate cases, involving multiple victims forced into exploitative pyramid schemes. Once recruited, they were transported across borders and held against their will, often suffering physical and psychological abuse.

In one instance, 24 Togolese victims were safeguarded in Mali. The women had been promised employment in locations as far away as North America, but instead, they were charged “recruitment fees” of up to USD 6,000 to operate a multi-level marketing scheme. They were then forced to target family and friends to join as well. So far, 10 arrests have been made.

The Interconnection of Crime

Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are increasingly linked to other forms of crime, often using the same criminal networks and routes. This overlap amplifies profits and power for organized crime groups, making enforcement more complex. The need for a whole-of-crime approach was evident throughout the operation week.

In Brazil, an earlier drug trafficking investigation uncovered a migrant smuggling operation led by the same criminal group. That investigation led them to the arrest of a city council candidate and his associate for smuggling 70 migrants into the United States. In the process, they seized USD 750,000 linked to the operation.

Serbian police arrested 12 suspects linked to two organized criminal groups which facilitated the journeys of at least 178 irregular migrants through Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Police also seized cash, firearms and drugs.

Chilean and Paraguayan authorities worked together to break up a polycriminal group involved in migrant smuggling, human trafficking and money laundering. The group allegedly transported victims into Chile, where they were taken to different cities for sexual exploitation. Four suspects were arrested and 23 victims were rescued and supported.

Notable Cases

Following raids on houses, businesses and nightclubs in North Macedonia, 13 suspects were arrested on charges of human trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering. The 32 potential victims identified during the raids - all women - were mostly from abroad, including Albania, Colombia, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.

Analysis of migrant flows is ongoing, but of note was the increasing number of Asian migrants, particularly Vietnamese, detected in the Americas during the operational week. Venezuelan nationals, however, remain the largest group of irregular migrants reported by participating countries, with most migrating to North and South America.

Tunisian authorities intercepted 27 individuals, including 21 minors, attempting to travel to the United Kingdom under the pretense of a language study trip. Coordination with INTERPOL's National Central Bureau in Manchester helped identify three suspects in the UK, who have now been referred for prosecution on smuggling charges.

In Kenya, the Transnational Organized Crime Unit arrested two suspects accused of exploiting Ethiopian migrants, uncovering around 100 victims confined in a four-bedroom house. The victims reported being beaten and coerced into contacting family members for money.

The UK's Role

The scale of Channel crossings is “significant” amid the “growing” threat from people smuggling, a police chief warned after the largest ever worldwide operation of its kind saw thousands of arrests.

The UK was among 116 countries and territories to take part in Interpol’s week-long Operation Liberterra II, resulting in 2,517 arrests being made around the globe. Some 3,222 potential victims of human trafficking were rescued and 17,793 irregular migrants also identified as part of raids carried out at the end of September and beginning of October.

Richard Chambers, the law enforcement agency’s director of organised and emerging crime, told the PA news agency “everyone” is concerned about the sheer number of migrants crossing the Channel to the UK, describing the more than 31,000 who have made the journey so far this year as “significant”.

Asked how long it would take to see such enforcement activity leading to fewer crossings, he said: “That is a really hard question to answer.”

Interpol will “absolutely be playing our role to make that difference. But it’s not up to us alone. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s going to continue to be a massive coordinated effort by many partners”.

Operation Liberterra II “told us that this particular crime type is very diverse. It’s developing. It’s developing fast. It’s a growing issue.”

The problem is “more than any one country”, he said as he told how the operation shone the “spotlight on the threat that human trafficking presents to the globe”.

Speaking from the general assembly on Wednesday, he said: “We heard from the UK Prime Minister earlier this week about how important this issue is. So the UK has a very significant role to play in this effort.”

Sir Keir “made a very clear statement around the priority that his Government places upon this issue, and that comes with our full support to assist law enforcement and jurisdictions globally to follow with more operations”, he added.

During the operation, Tunisian authorities intercepted 27 people, including 21 children, who were trying to travel to the UK “under the pretence of a language study trip”, Interpol said. This led to three suspects being arrested after the National Crime Agency (NCA) found them living in the UK. They are now facing prosecution for smuggling charges.

In total nine people were arrested in the UK as part of the operation as the NCA sought out suspects wanted in Belgium, Germany, France and Romania for people smuggling, human trafficking and modern slavery offences. Raids took place in Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Kent, the NCA said.

This included a 32-year-old Syrian man arrested in Nottingham, who was wanted by Romanian authorities for “illegally transporting migrants from Bulgaria to Romania, for onward travel to the Netherlands”. Another suspect was detained by police in Northern Ireland. Extradition proceedings are now taking place for all nine suspects.

Rick Jones, from the NCA, said the operation is a “prime example of our commitment to working closely and effectively with international partners to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking.”

The operation uncovered dozens of cases in which trafficking victims were “deceived and coerced into committing fraud”, for example through online scams, “marking a clear departure from traditional trafficking patterns, where human exploitation is the sole criminal objective,” Interpol said. In many of these cases victims were being “lured with false promises of employment and are kept there through intimidation and abuse”.

A Global Effort for a Global Problem

The operation sought to ensure the widest possible participation and ensure long-term investigative capacity. It was supported by 11 projects which are funded by:

The operation was supported by:

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belize, Benin, Bermuda (UK), Bolivia, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cayman Islands (UK), Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte D'ivoire, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Congo (Democratic Rep.), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, India, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, St Lucia, Suriname, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad And Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turks & Caicos (UK), Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.

Moving Forward

Growing tensions around the world “fuel a lot of this activity because the reality is, people seek a better place of safety”, he said, adding: “Organised crime groups exploit that. They exploit those vulnerabilities, and they don’t care about the consequences.”

There will be more operations of this scale to follow because Interpol is hearing “more and more” about the “threat posed by human trafficking” from its 196 member countries, Mr Chambers said.