121 arrests in operation against migrant smuggling and human trafficking – INTERPOL
Operation Storm Makers busts criminal networks profiting from the movement of vulnerable men, women and children across borders.
LYON, France – An INTERPOL-coordinated operation targeting migrant smuggling and human trafficking has triggered 121 arrests across 25 countries, prompting 193 new investigations.
Operation Storm Makers (21 – 25 March 2022) saw authorities carry out enforcement actions against organized crime groups believed to be facilitating the travel of Asian men, women and children across borders for exploitation and/or profit.
In total, authorities rescued 80 human trafficking victims and identified some 3,400 irregular migrants.
Operational coordination units were set up in Hanoi (Vietnam) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), helping assess intelligence and facilitating enforcement actions between participating countries.
Smart electronic gates, connected to INTERPOL’s databases, were activated at airports across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to boost passport checks and help detect forged documents.
Globally, some 15 million checks were carried out against INTERPOL’s databases at air, land and sea borders, generating ‘hits’ or alerts for fraudulent travel documents, as well as INTERPOL Notices against individuals wanted on various charges, including murder and fraud.
Organ trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation uncovered
In Turkey, police arrested four people, dismantling a suspected international organ trafficking ring. The criminal network, originating in India, is accused of targeting vulnerable Indonesian nationals and facilitating kidney transplants in Turkey. The suspects went as far as staging wedding photos and falsifying documents in order to establish fake family relationships between recipients and donors. With each kidney fetching USD 37,000 on the black market, the organ donor would receive USD 15,000, with the remainder split among members of the network.
Police in Malaysia and Cambodia worked closely on a case involving 15 men and one woman lured to Cambodia on the promise of a lucrative salary to work in a call centre. On arrival, however, they were locked up and forced to work 14-hour days as scammers. Authorities in both countries believe there are more victims of the criminal group and the ongoing investigation is being supported by INTERPOL’s Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants unit.
https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2022/121-arrests-in-operation-against-migrant-smuggling-and-human-trafficking-INTERPOL