An operation coordinated by Interpol to combat migrant smuggling in the Americas has led to the arrest of more than 250 people, the international organization for police cooperation based in Lyon said on Monday.
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“Operation Turquesa V” involved law enforcement agencies from 33 countries between November 27 and December 1, with support from Interpol's anti-migrant smuggling program, Europol, the International Office for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime Control (UNODC), said a press release.
257 arrests were recorded after 850,000 stops carried out at key transit points to disrupt the activities of criminal groups that manage migration routes to the United States and Canada.
In total, 163 potential human trafficking victims were rescued and nearly 12,000 irregular migrants from 69 different countries were identified.
The first results of the operation also show a significant 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 discovered during Operation Turquesa V shows how this important migration corridor… has become a target for organized criminal groups from around the world,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in the statement.