INTERPOL Arrests 262 Suspects in Crackdown on Human Trafficking, Migrant Smuggling

The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has announced the arrest of 262 suspects and the opening of 434 investigations following an international operation targeting organised criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

The four-day operation, code-named Operation Communis Maris, was conducted between October 5 and 8, 2026, across 16 countries in North and West Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East.

According to INTERPOL, the exercise also led to the identification of 109 potential victims of human trafficking and the interception of 1,715 irregular migrants.

Of the 262 suspects arrested, 221 were accused of migrant smuggling, 16 were suspected of human trafficking, while 25 others were apprehended over offences including the production and use of fraudulent documents.

The operation brought together 7,660 law enforcement and border management officers, who screened more than 378,000 individuals, monitored migration hotspots and pursued intelligence on suspected criminal networks.

INTERPOL said 210,594 searches were conducted through its databases during the exercise to support investigations and identify individuals linked to organised crime.

The operation was led by INTERPOL with support from Europol, Frontex, AFRIPOL, the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

In one of the incidents recorded, Moroccan authorities intercepted a vessel carrying 70 prospective migrants, including 30 minors, who had reportedly spent six days at sea.

In another operation, Senegalese authorities alerted neighbouring countries about a wooden vessel that had departed the country's territorial waters.

Authorities also identified 41 organised criminal groups suspected of involvement in migrant smuggling activities.

In Libya, security operatives rescued 34 potential victims of human trafficking and arrested three suspects allegedly linked to a criminal network involved in trafficking, migrant smuggling and extortion.

INTERPOL's Director of Organised and Emerging Crime, David Caunter, said criminal networks continued to exploit vulnerable people through abuse, extortion and dangerous journeys aboard overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels.

He said international cooperation was essential to identifying offenders, dismantling their networks and preventing further loss of life along major migration routes.

The organisation added that intelligence gathered during the operation would support further investigations and possible arrests in the coming months.