INTERPOL: Global human trafficking operation detects 1,194 potential victims, arrests 158 suspects

By R Anil Kumar

LYON, France. A major operation against human trafficking has resulted in the detection of 1,194 potential victims and the arrest of 158 suspects. As part of ongoing investigations, an additional 205 human trafficking suspects have also been identified.

The global crackdown focused on trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced criminality and forced begging, with a special focus on underage victims. The operation engaged nearly 15,000 officers from 43 different countries and involved police, border guards, labour inspectors, as well as tax and customs authorities.

Operation Global Chain (1 – 6 June 2025) was led by law enforcement in Austria and Romania, with coordination and support from INTERPOL, Europol and Frontex. It aimed to detect and disrupt high value targets and organized crime groups – responsible for most human trafficking cases – as well as safeguarding victims, identifying criminal assets and initiating follow-up investigations.

Potential victims were reported from 64 different countries, with a majority from Romania, Ukraine, Colombia and China. Many of the victims had been trafficked across borders, and even continents, underlying the transnational nature of human trafficking schemes. The majority of the victims of sexual exploitation identified through the operation were adult females. In contrast, underage victims were more commonly exploited through forced begging or forced criminal activities such as pickpocketing. Safeguarding these victims is often particularly challenging, as many are exploited by members of their own families.

Police around the world seized weapons, drugs, cash and fraudulent documents during the action days.

 Operational highlights:

• Federal police in Brazil took down a trafficking ring that recruited victims through fake job ads, then trafficked them to Myanmar for sexual exploitation. A victim in southeast Asia was added to an INTERPOL Blue Notice, allowing her to be monitored for safety and subsequently rescued.
• Montenegro reported 13 potential human trafficking victims, including six children who were exploited on the streets through forced begging. Following detection, the minors, who had been recruited by their parents and family members, received support from local authorities.
• In Italy, police raided several massage parlours with suspected links to sexual exploitation, identifying 75 potential trafficking victims from Romania, China, and Colombia, and seizing drugs and firearms. One Italian suspect was arrested on trafficking charges. Five others from Italy, Tunisia, Colombia and the Philippines were arrested for other crimes. Several apartments used for forced prostitution were seized by the authorities.
• Ukraine authorities carried out an undercover operation which exposed a scheme to recruit and transport women to Berlin for sexual exploitation. A Ukrainian woman was arrested after a search of her devices revealed evidence of online profiles advertising sexual services in Germany.
• Romanian police carried out house searches, summoned 11 witnesses and arrested nine individuals for the trafficking of eight child victims, aged 7 to 15, for the purpose of forced begging.
• Austrian law enforcement arrested seven suspected human traffickers and safeguarded eight women, dismantling a Romanian family-based organized crime group active in several EU countries. The group used the ‘lover-boy method’, a technique that lures in victims under the false pretense of a relationship. Victims were eventually subject to sexual exploitation and forced criminality.

During the operation, potential victims were reported from 64 different countries.

43 different countries participated in Operation Global Chain.

The global operation involved police, border guards, labour inspectors, as well as tax and customs authorities, including these officers in Moldova.

The operation aimed to detect and disrupt high value targets and organized crime groups – responsible for most human trafficking cases.

Operation Global Chain: On top of the 158 arrests, an additional 205 human trafficking suspects have been identified as part of ongoing operations.

Brazilian police rescued a victim in southeast Asia via an INTERPOL Blue Notice.

Ukrainian police carried out an undercover operation which exposed a trafficking scheme.

Operation Global Chain led to the opening of 182 new investigations, including 15 transnational cases, as well as the publication of 14 new INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions.

Significant seizures were also made, including:

• EUR 277,669 in cash
• One tonne of cannabis
• 899 units of other narcotics
• 30 firearms
• 15 explosive components
• 65 fraudulent documents
• 5 real estate proprieties

David Caunter, Director pro tempore of Organized and Emerging Crime at INTERPOL, said:

“Human trafficking is a brutal and devastating crime that strips people of their dignity, freedom, and humanity, preying on the most vulnerable, including children. Operation Global Chain demonstrates the global nature of these criminal schemes and the power of international cooperation in disrupting them.”

A transnational response to a transnational threat

INTERPOL, Europol, and Frontex supported the operation through joint international coordination efforts. To assist officers on the ground and facilitate real-time information exchange, a coordination center was established at the Frontex headquarters in Warsaw, Poland. The center was staffed by 33 officials from participating countries, including experts deployed from INTERPOL, Europol, Ameripol and Frontex. INTERPOL also provided access to its global databases and international Notices, in addition to delivering investigative and analytical support for cases that emerged or advanced during the operation.

Throughout the operation days, countries acted on shared intelligence to raid known locations and carry out seizures. Law enforcement was also stepped up at hotspots and key transport hubs to identify both victims and suspects.

During the six-day operation officers checked:

• 924,392 people
• 842,281 ID documents
• 181, 954 vehicles
• 5,745 flights and vessels
• 20,783 locations

Operation Global Chain was carried out under the framework of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), with funding from INTERPOL’s I-FORCE Project and the German Federal Foreign Office.

Participating countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo*, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

(IMAGES SOURCE-INTERPOL)