Interpol reports arresting 219 individuals in 39 countries on charges of human trafficking

Interpol announced on Monday that 219 people have been arrested in a wide-ranging operation against human trafficking conducted jointly in 39 countries.

The International Criminal Police Organization, headquartered in Lyon, southeastern France, said in a statement that during the operation named "Operation Global Chain," which led to the arrests, 1374 individuals believed to be victims were found, including 153 children.

The operation, led by Austria and coordinated with Romania, Europol, Frontex, and Interpol, took place from June 3 to June 9.

The operation allowed Hungarian authorities in particular to apprehend a couple suspected of sexually exploiting their six children and forcing them into street begging.

In Laos, Vietnamese authorities arrested a suspect who lured 14 Vietnamese with promises of high-paying jobs before forcing them to create fraudulent online accounts for financial scams. The suspect confiscated victims' documents and compelled them to work 12 to 14 hours daily.

Interpol confirmed the opening of 276 new investigations following this operation and identified 362 suspects.

The statement quoted Lars Gerdes, Deputy Executive Director for Operations at Frontex, as saying, "Detecting these crimes is incredibly challenging due to the frequent absence of victim testimonies, leading to a significant number of unreported cases."

He added, "This is why our international cooperation is so crucial."

AFP