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    • Frontex teams up to combat human trafficking

    2024-06-24

    In a major coordinated effort with Romania, Europol, and INTERPOL, and led by Austria, Frontex spearheaded an international operation involving 40 countries to disrupt criminal networks engaged in human trafficking, resulting in the arrests of over two hundred people traffickers.

    Operation Global Chain 2024 saw police authorities and border guards across several continents joining forces in targeting criminal networks, including mafia-type, ethnic, and family-based groups. Special attention was given to cases involving children, ensuring they were swiftly taken to safety.

    This large-scale operation took place between 3 June and 9 June and focused on dismantling networks involved in sexual exploitation, forced criminality, and forced begging. The result was the arrest of 219 people smugglers and the rescue of 1 374 victims, mainly women and children.

    The nerve centre of the operation was based at Frontex’s headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, where data was collected by the participating countries, shared and cross-checked in real-time with the support of Europol and INTERPOL. The setting up of the coordination centre at Frontex greatly facilitated a smooth exchange of information among all participants.

    “Human trafficking is an abhorrent crime that preys on the vulnerable and undermines our shared values of human dignity and freedom. Detecting these crimes is incredibly challenging due to the frequent absence of victim testimonies, leading to a significant number of unreported cases,” said Lars Gerdes, Deputy Executive Director for Operations at Frontex. “This is why our international cooperation with Europol, INTERPOL, Austria and over 40 countries worldwide is so crucial,” he added.
    Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Deputy Executive Director of Europol, Operations Directorate, said: “The goal of this large-scale jointly executed action is not only for authorities to conduct targeted activities within their respective countries and work collectively with each other for a week but also to draw attention to this despicable crime.”
    “Operations such as Global Chain demonstrate that no country or continent is immune to trafficking and exploitation. Whether committed by family members or highly organized crime groups, the impact on victims is devastating. As a global law enforcement community, we are committed to sharing the vital intelligence needed to bring all perpetrators to justice”, said Richard Chambers, INTERPOL Director, Organized and Emerging Crime.

    During the operation, officers were on high alert, looking for signs of trafficking and forged documents. Thanks to their diligence, more than a hundred of traffickers were detected, and many new investigations were launched to disrupt criminal groups and rescue victims.

    The success of this operation underscores Frontex’s role in not only securing the EU’s borders but also in combatting cross-border crime and upholding humanitarian values. This collective effort highlights the importance of international teamwork in the fight against trafficking in human beings, reminding us all that by working together, we can make a difference.

    Participating countries:

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

    Participating agencies:

    Europol, Frontex, INTERPOL

    *This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.