(Lyon) An operation to combat migrant smuggling on the North American continent, coordinated by Interpol, has led to the arrest of more than 250 people, the international police cooperation organization based in Lyon announced on Monday.
Conducted between November 27 and 1er December, “Operation Turquesa V” involved law enforcement from 33 countries, with support from the Interpol Migrant Smuggling Program, Europol, the International Office for Migration (IOM) and of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), according to a press release.
257 arrests were recorded following 850,000 checks, carried out at main transit points to disrupt the activities of criminal groups who manage migratory routes to the United States and Canada.
In total, 163 potential trafficking victims were rescued and nearly 12,000 irregular migrants, from 69 different countries, identified.
The first results of the operation also show a marked increase in transcontinental flows, with numerous arrivals from China, the third country of origin of irregular migrants after Venezuela and Ecuador.
“The number of nationalities detected during Operation Turquesa V demonstrates how this important migratory corridor […] has become the target of organized crime groups around the world,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in the statement.