Migrants crossing the Darien Gap.
An effective response to human trafficking and migrant smuggling requires a joint international effort.
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are working together to enhance international cooperation, facilitate intelligence sharing, and take unified action against these global threats.
INTERPOL today announced the results of Operation Liberterra II in Glasgow, its largest ever operation against human trafficking and migrant smuggling, supported by UNODC in real time.
The operation, which was carried out across 116 countries between 29 September to 4 October 2024, led to the rescue of 3,222 potential trafficking victims and identified 17,800 irregular migrants.
During the operation, UNODC experts in different regions of the world brought together law enforcement officers and prosecutors to facilitate real-time ongoing case identification and cross-border judicial cooperation.
“UNODC is proud to join this collaborative effort to stop human trafficking and migrant smuggling,” said Ilias Chatzis, Chief of the UNODC Action against Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling.
“By joining forces with INTERPOL through Liberterra II, we provided valuable assistance to foster relationships between specialized prosecutors and improving cross-agency and international cooperation to ensure coordinated global responses against these crimes.”
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.
A total of 2,517 arrests were made during the week – 850 of which were specifically on human trafficking or migrant smuggling charges.
“INTERPOL firmly believes that achieving optimal results relies on contributions from all. The varied backgrounds and specialized skills gathered for Liberterra II —law enforcement officers, prosecutors, subject-matter experts— form a remarkable collective asset. By fostering collaboration between these groups, we have multiplied our ability to address complex criminal organizations," said Richard Chambers, INTERPOL’s Director for Organized and Emerging Crime.
UNODC supported INTERPOL’s operational coordination unit in South Eastern Europe, enabling prosecutors from countries of origin, transit, and destination in the region and other European countries to cooperate with each other and provide in-depth analysis of emerging trends, criminal routes and methods used by traffickers in the cases identified under the operation.
For example, 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.
The week-long operation in other parts of the world also uncovered dozens of cases in which trafficking victims were deceived and coerced into committing fraud, marking new trafficking patterns departing from well-known forms such as sexual exploitation or forced labour.
UNODC will continue to work closely with INTERPOL to follow up on cases initiated through LIBERTERRA II and to extend this vital partnership to other areas of mutual interest.
Read more about the INTERPOL operation here.
