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Interpol says it has arrested more than 3,700 people worldwide during a major operation targeting human trafficking and migrant smuggling networks.
The cross-border police agency said over 4,400 potential victims were identified and protected during Operation Liberterra III, an eleven-day crackdown carried out in November across 119 countries. The operation involved around 14,000 law enforcement officers.
Interpol noted emerging shifts in global trafficking patterns, with increasing cases involving South American and Asian victims being trafficked into Africa — a departure from the long-established trend of African victims being trafficked abroad.
“Criminal networks are evolving, exploiting new routes, digital platforms and vulnerable populations,” Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said in a statement. “Identifying these patterns allows law enforcement to anticipate threats, disrupt networks earlier and better protect victims.”
Migrant smuggling along dangerous routes remains a major concern. Interpol said migrants were intercepted along coastal routes in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco and Algeria, as well as overland networks in Peru, Brazil and other countries.
In Africa, victims are often recruited under the false promise of overseas employment. Traffickers charge high fees and then force victims to recruit friends and family in exchange for better treatment, creating what Interpol described as a pyramid-style exploitation scheme.
Authorities in West and Central Africa — including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone — reported operations that rescued more than 200 victims and dismantled multiple recruitment and exploitation hubs.
Interpol also highlighted links between trafficking and cybercrime. A separate cybercrime operation in Africa in 2025 led to the arrest of 1,209 suspects accused of targeting more than 88,000 victims.
In Asia, authorities uncovered 450 trafficked workers during a single raid on a compound in Myanmar, underscoring the global scale of the problem.
