In a sweeping international law enforcement initiative, Interpol has announced the successful disruption of extensive human trafficking networks across 119 countries. Operation Liberterra III, conducted from November 10-21, mobilized approximately 14,000 officers worldwide in what represents one of the most comprehensive anti-trafficking efforts to date.
The coordinated crackdown resulted in 3,744 arrests of suspected traffickers and smugglers, while rescuing 4,414 individuals from exploitative situations. Authorities identified an additional 12,992 people entangled in illegal migration schemes during the operation, which has sparked at least 720 new criminal investigations.
Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza emphasized the evolving nature of these criminal enterprises, noting that “criminal networks are exploiting new routes, digital platforms and vulnerable populations with increasing sophistication.” The operation revealed significant shifts in trafficking patterns, particularly the emergence of South American and Asian victims within African territories—a departure from traditional routes that primarily involved African victims being transported abroad.
Critical intervention points included dangerous coastal routes along Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, and Algeria, as well as land-based networks throughout Peru and Brazil. In West and Central Africa alone, coordinated efforts across Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone liberated over 200 victims and dismantled multiple recruitment and exploitation hubs.
The investigation uncovered how traffickers typically lure victims through false promises of foreign employment opportunities, then impose exorbitant fees that force victims into recruiting friends and family members—effectively creating pyramid-style exploitation schemes. This announcement follows Interpol’s recent revelation of a separate cybercrime crackdown in Africa that resulted in 1,209 arrests targeting individuals who had victimized approximately 88,000 people.