Category: Interpol

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – Authorities in the Americas, supported by INTERPOL, have successfully dismantled a criminal network involved in the trafficking of Colombian women to Mexico, arresting its leaders and safeguarding eight victims.

In a coordinated operation between the specialized prosecutor’s offices, investigative police and INTERPOL National Central Bureaus of Mexico and Colombia, authorities arrested the group’s main leader, a Cuban-Mexican citizen, in Medellín, Colombia, and his main associate in Yucatan, Mexico. Both suspects were wanted by Mexico and subject to INTERPOL Red Notices.

A profitable scheme targeting young women

The criminal group first came to the attention of police in June 2022 when victims in Mexico managed to escape and report their ordeals to authorities. The young victims, usually from impoverished backgrounds in Cali, Medellín and Bogotá, were promised employment as waitresses or hostesses in Cancun and Merida.

Investigations uncovered that the victims would then receive ‘official’ letters of invitation to facilitate their access to Mexico. Upon arrival, the women were greeted by members of the criminal group, who took them to safe houses and confiscated their passports. They were then forced to sign contracts bonding them to unaffordable debts, which would be paid off by performing sex work in bars allegedly owned by the group’s leader.

In Mexico, authorities from the Attorney General’s Office carried out raids in homes and bars, which led to the rescue of the victims and the arrest of the woman suspected of running operations in Merida.

In Colombia, authorities found that the suspected ringleader had been leading an ostentatious lifestyle in a luxurious country house and travelling in high-end armored vehicles with a security detail. His wealth, estimated to be over 8 billion Colombian pesos (close to EUR 1 million), is believed to be the direct proceeds of the trafficking scheme.

Investigations are ongoing in both countries to identify and seize financial assets connected to the group, and to arrest any additional members which may still be at large.

The case is being supported by INTERPOL through Project Turquesa, a joint initiative with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

strong>SANTIAGO, Chile – South American Police Chiefs have committed to increased use of INTERPOL to address the growing national security threat posed by transnational crime and associated violence.

The two-day meeting of police leaders from the region concluded with a declaration endorsing enhanced cooperation and action across a range of areas, including:

–              The need to stem the financial flows and illicit profits generated by organized crime

–              Joint strategies with national authorities responsible for prisons and detention centres

–              Greater interaction with customs and immigration services to combat crimes such as drug and firearms trafficking

–              Increased use of INTERPOL’s databases and tools, particularly the Notices system.

INTERPOL’s Regional Bureau (RB) for South America, based in Buenos Aires, was also recognized as providing valuable support for coordinating the operational response to priority crimes such as child sexual abuse, corruption, cybercrime, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, money laundering and terrorism.

In this respect, the Police Chiefs also committed to contributing strategic information to the Regional Bureau for the development of analytical reports on criminal trends across the region and to identify potential and suspected transcontinental links.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“Transnational organized crime is growing and evolving at an increasingly unbridled pace.

“The result is law enforcement now dealing with a multi-crime world, where international threats are impacting at the national and local levels.

“It is by bringing together police leaders, hearing the challenges they face that we can jointly identify the most effective way forward in strengthening the global security architecture.

“This is exactly what this meeting of South American Police Chiefs has done.”

Police chiefs and directors from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela took part in the high-level event which is due to be held every two years for a review of the evolving regional crime situation and law enforcement response.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – A global police operation spanning 61 countries has delivered a financial blow to online scam networks by freezing 6,745 bank accounts, seizing assets totaling USD 257 million, and disrupting the transnational organized crime networks involved.

Targeting phishing, investment fraud, fake online shopping sites, romance and impersonation scams, Operation First Light 2024 led to the arrest of 3,950 suspects and identified 14,643 other possible suspects in all continents.

Police collectively intercepted some USD 135 million in fiat currency and USD 2 million in cryptocurrency. Fiat currency, such as the US Dollar, Euro, or Yen, is official currency issued and regulated by governments.

Other assets worth over USD 120 million were seized, including real estate, high-end vehicles, expensive jewellery, and many other high-value items and collections.

Using INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) mechanism to help them trace and intercept the illicit proceeds of crime, both in fiat and cryptocurrency, police intercepted USD 331,000 in a business email compromise fraud involving a Spanish victim who transferred money to Hong Kong, China.

Likewise in another case, authorities in Australia successfully recovered AUD 5.5 million (USD 3.7 million) on behalf of an impersonation scam victim, after the funds were fraudulently transferred to bank accounts in Malaysia and Hong Kong, China.

Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), Dr Isaac Kehinde Oginni, said:

“The results of this global police operation are more than just numbers—they represent lives protected, crimes prevented, and a healthier global economy worldwide.

“By confiscating such large amounts of money, and disrupting the networks behind them, we not only safeguard our communities but also deal a significant blow to the transnational organized crime groups that pose such a serious threat to global security.”

On behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security, Yong Wang, Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Beijing, said:

“The world is grappling with the severe challenges of social engineering fraud, and organized crime groups are operating from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Africa, with victims on every continent.

“No country is immune to this type of crime, and combating it requires very strong international cooperation.”

Notable achievements from the operation include the dismantling of a sophisticated international scam network in the Namibian capital. In this operation, 88 local youths, who were forced into conducting scams, were rescued. Authorities seized 163 computers and 350 mobile phones, and the data they contained handed over to INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters for analysis.

Similarly, coordination between Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Centre, and Hong Kong, China, Police Force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre and local banks prevented an attempted tech support scam, saving a 70-year-old victim from losing SGD 380,000 (USD 281,200) worth of savings.

Joint investigations between Brazilian and Portuguese authorities disrupted several scam networks operating globally.

Operation First Light was strengthened by the participation of four regional policing bodies: AFRIPOL, ASEANAPOL, GCCPOL, and Europol.

First Light operations are funded by China’s Ministry of Public Security, which recently hosted the concluding meeting in Tianjin, bringing participating countries together under one roof to analyze results, share intelligence, and plan future operations.

Operation First Light 2024 commenced in 2023 and culminated in its final tactical phase from March to May 2024.

INTERPOL has been coordinating First Light operations since 2014 to bolster cooperation and intensify efforts by member countries in fighting social engineering and telecom fraud.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – Valdecy Urquiza of Brazil has been proposed by INTERPOL’s Executive Committee as a candidate to be the next Secretary General of INTERPOL, the world’s largest global police organization.

The candidacy of Mr Urquiza will be submitted to INTERPOL’s supreme governing body, the General Assembly, for endorsement during its meeting in Glasgow, United Kingdom. If endorsed by a majority of INTERPOL’s 196 member countries, he will assume office at the end of the term of the current Secretary General – Mr Jürgen Stock of Germany – on 7 November 2024.

The Secretary General of INTERPOL is the Organization’s chief official and is appointed for a five-year term in office.

The President of INTERPOL Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi said:

“The Executive Committee is delighted to select Mr Urquiza as its candidate to be the next Secretary General of INTERPOL.

“With the significant rise in transnational crime, INTERPOL’s work has never been more important. As well as maintaining INTERPOL’s neutrality, the next Secretary General will be charged with working with our member countries to continue the important work to tackle international criminal activity, building policing capacity and capability, and ensuring our systems continue to be used to catch the most dangerous criminals in the world.

“Mr Urquiza impressed the Executive Committee with his experience, vision and commitment to international policing. He brings significant experience of policing, as a senior police officer in Brazil, a former member of INTERPOL staff and as INTERPOL’s Vice President for the Americas.”

Valdecy Urquiza is a Federal Police Commissioner and currently holds the position of Director of International Cooperation at the Brazilian Federal Police. Since 2021, after being elected by INTERPOL’s General Assembly, he also serves as the Vice President of INTERPOL for the Americas. Previously, he was the Head of the International Legal Cooperation Division of the Brazilian Federal Police and Assistant Director in the Organized and Emerging Crimes Directorate at INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France. In Brazil, Mr Urquiza has also led the National Central Bureau of INTERPOL, the Division of International Police Cooperation, the Division of International Relations, and the Directorate of Information Technology of the Federal Police.

Mr Urquiza holds a law degree from Universidade de Fortaleza, Brazil, and postgraduate degrees in Public Administration from IBMEC and Environmental Law from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, USA. Valdecy Urquiza is married and has two children.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – A large-scale joint operation against human trafficking has led to 219 arrests and the identification of 1,374 potential victims, including 153 children, across 39 countries.
Operation Global Chain (3 – 9 June 2024), which was led by Austria and coordinated by Romania, Europol, Frontex and INTERPOL, aimed to disrupt high-risk criminal networks, focusing on cases of sexual exploitation, forced criminality and forced begging.
The operation encouraged national authorities to conduct targeted activities in their respective countries, to facilitate cross-border cooperation and to raise public awareness. The approach involved police forces and border guards from several continents, focusing on the criminal networks behind the trafficking of human beings, with particular attention paid to cases involving child victims.

276 new investigations launched

Inspections were carried out at hotspots around the world, with officers looking for signs of trafficking and forged travel documents. Checks against INTERPOL’s global databases yielded 12 hits, including two subjects of INTERPOL Red Notices.
In order to cross-check data collected on the ground and allow for the exchange of information between participating countries, officers worked together at a coordination centre at Frontex headquarters in Warsaw, Poland.
A total of 276 new investigations have been launched as a result of the action week, with an additional 362 suspects identified. Authorities also seized 2,074 criminal assets such as cash or devices, and detected 363 fraudulent documents.

Operational highlights

In a particularly difficult case, Hungarian authorities arrested a local couple suspected of sexually exploiting six of their children, as well forcing them to beg on the streets. Judicial, medical and psychological experts have been involved and the children are now in protective care.

Vietnamese authorities uncovered a human trafficking scheme involving a Chinese interpreter working for a company in Laos. The suspect had lured 14 Vietnamese individuals with promises of high-paying overseas jobs, only to force them into creating fraudulent online accounts for financial scams. Victims worked 12-hour workdays, extended to 14 hours if they failed to recruit others, and had their documents confiscated. Families were extorted up to USD $10,000 to secure their return to Vietnam. This case further highlights the trend of human trafficking for forced online fraud, first detected by INTERPOL in Southeast Asia during Operation Storm Makers in March 2022, and later in other regions, leading to the publication of an INTERPOL Orange Notice.

Romanian officers arrested a suspect for recruiting underage victims from disadvantaged backgrounds and forcing them into begging and sexual exploitation. The trafficker withheld their earnings and used physical violence for control.

The National Police of Ukraine dismantled an organized crime group targeting vulnerable persons, identifying three suspects who controlled and coerced a dozen victims into forced begging. In another case, officers arrested an individual suspected of forcing a disabled person into a sham marriage. The victim has been safeguarded by Ukrainian authorities.

Commenting on the results, Richard Chambers, INTERPOL’s Director of Organized and Emerging Crime, said:
“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.”

Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Deputy Executive Director of Europol, Operations Directorate, said:
“Close and efficient cooperation between law enforcement and border protection authorities on an international level is key in targeting those who exploit the most vulnerable among us. This year’s impressive results show that the despicable crime of human trafficking is best fought together.”

Lars Gerdes, Deputy Executive Director for Operations at Frontex, said:
“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. This is why our international cooperation is so crucial.”

The week of action was carried out under the aegis of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), with additional support from EU4FAST and INTERPOL’s Projects Turquesa and I-FORCE.

Participating countries:

Albania, 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

* 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.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

TIRANA, Albania – INTERPOL’s European Regional Conference has ended with renewed momentum to combat transnational organized crime in all its forms, across the region and beyond.

The meeting provided an opportunity for in-depth discussion on the challenges facing law enforcement dealing with an increasingly sophisticated and diverse crime threat landscape.

“While Europe may be INTERPOL’s most active region, the threat posed by organized crime makes information sharing at both the regional and global level more important than ever,” said Peter De Buysscher, INTERPOL Vice President for Europe, who chaired the conference. “We must work to ensure that gaps are not created for criminals to exploit.”

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“Organized crime is becoming more violent and more complex. Without greater information sharing, more cooperation, no country in the world can cope with this challenge on their own.

“The discussions and decisions from this conference underline law enforcement’s commitment to work at the regional and global level to combat this threat.”

As environmental crime reaches a critical stage in the European region with diminishing natural resources and climate change impacting food security, livelihoods and habitats, delegates endorsed a recommendation for increased operational activity to combat this threat.

Greater cooperation across relevant law enforcement sectors, such as fisheries, wildlife and financial authorities, was also recognized as essential for effective action.

Biometrics

Enhanced use and sharing of biometric data via INTERPOL to identify criminals involved in transnational organized crime was also highlighted as a key part of disrupting illicit networks.

INTERPOL’s Biometric Hub is a state-of-the-art system for identifying criminals, enabling law enforcement to upload fingerprints and facial recognition images for comparison against the Organization’s databases for potential matches.

During the conference, delegates were also updated on results achieved through INTERPOL’s International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database.

Connecting victim identification specialists worldwide, the ICSE database supports the analysis and comparison of images, avoiding the duplication of effort and saving precious time if a series of images has already been discovered or identified elsewhere.

The three-day (11 – 13 June) conference brought together some 160 senior police leaders from 54 countries in Europe and around the world.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

TIRANA, Albania – The growing threat and globalization of organized crime is the major theme of INTERPOL’s European Regional Conference hosted this week in Tirana, Albania.

Over the three-day conference (11-13 June), some 160 senior police representatives from across the region and beyond, will address emerging security threats in Europe, fighting organized crime and the future challenges of policing. Migration, cyber-enabled crime and drug trafficking will also be discussed.

The conference was opened by the Interior Minister of Albania Taulant Balla, who said:

“Today’s crimes are increasingly international. It is crucial that there is coordination among all the different players in maintaining a global security architecture.

“INTERPOL is the best global organization to provide this platform for cooperation; INTERPOL is the trusted partner to assist police in every member country to work directly with their counterparts, even between countries which do not have diplomatic relations.

“As we all come from different countries and we naturally speak different languages, meanwhile, organized crime speaks the same language, the language of ‘illegal financial gain at any cost’, through cybercrimes, trafficking of human beings, narcotics, weapons, fraud, money laundering; activities which take place at the expense of our honest and innocent citizens.”

INTERPOL President, Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, said:

“This year, the European Regional Conference comes at a time when Europe’s security landscape is changing fast. From the rise of cybercrime, terrorism, climate change, to the migration challenges, Europe requires a unified and strategic policing response to these ongoing issues.

“In light of these challenges, the European Regional Conference presents an opportunity for member countries, to engage in fruitful conversations, share intelligence, and enhance collaborative strategies.”

Jurgen Stock, Secretary General of INTERPOL, said:

“Senior police officials from across Europe are meeting to better understand the criminal threats facing Europe, how these threats continue to change and develop, and what we can do – together – to tackle them.

“We know that many people in Europe see this problem as something foreign – something that affects other people, in other countries – but we police officers know that it is affecting every country, and every community.

“We also know we can only take on these challenges together. It may not be easy, but the solution cannot be found by only working with allies or in your region. We need to work globally – not just in Europe – to tackle this growing menace of organized crime.”

In November 2023, at its General Assembly in Vienna, INTERPOL agreed a Vienna Declaration, which set out the Organization’s concerns about this growth in organized crime. It also outlined the long-term steps needed to tackle it – prioritization at the highest governmental levels, greater investment in technology, empowering front line police, and increased cooperation and information sharing.

INTERPOL’s European region is the most active, conducting 4.2 billion searches of the Organization’s databases in 2023, nearly half of all checks made globally.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

Following detection of the attempted misuse in a small number of cases to block and delete Red Notices, officials took immediate action internally and reported the issue to police authorities in its host country France.

Based on information provided by INTERPOL to French law enforcement authorities, today (Tuesday 4 June) Moldova’s Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office executed multiple search warrants.

INTERPOL has implemented additional measures to ensure the suspected misuse is stopped and to prevent future occurrences.

“Our robust monitoring systems identified suspicious activity in relation to a small number of Red Notices.  We took immediate action, including reporting the issue to law enforcement authorities in our host country France.”

“Over 70,000 people are subject to INTERPOL Red Notices, and while we are confident in the strength of our systems, we do not tolerate misuse of any kind.

“We appreciate the efforts of law enforcement authorities involved, and we will continue providing our full support to the ongoing investigations.”

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France: More than 1,500 vehicles stolen in Canada have been detected around the world since the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) successfully integrated the Canadian Police Information Centre’s (CPIC) stolen vehicle information with INTERPOL’s Stolen Motor Vehicle (SMV) Database in February 2024.

The RCMP’s CPIC database contains details on approximately 150,000 vehicles stolen in Canada. Since the integration, more than 200 of the stolen vehicles have been identified each week as their information is checked by law enforcement around the world, usually at national ports of entry.

Canada ranks among the top 10 countries in hits received via the SMV database this year, out of 137 countries connected worldwide.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“Stolen vehicles are international criminal currency. Not only are they used to traffic drugs, but also as payment to other criminal networks as well as fueling activities from human trafficking to terrorism.

“Sometimes overlooked, a stolen car is not just car theft. It is part of a major revenue stream for transnational organized crime. Through increased data sharing at the global level, we can better screen vehicles at border points, identify trafficking routes and arrest the perpetrators.”

INTERPOL’s SMV database allows police in the organization’s member countries to run a check against a suspicious vehicle and find out instantly whether it has been reported as stolen.

In 2023, around 226,000 vehicles were identified as stolen globally through the SMV database.

Joint vehicle crime project

In recent years, Canada has emerged as a key source country for stolen motor vehicles, in part given its large supply of sought-after high value models such as SUVs and crossovers. Many of the vehicles are shipped to the Middle East and West Africa, where they are then traded or re-sold.

On February 21, 2024, the Government of Canada announced that INTERPOL’s joint transnational vehicle crime project will receive $3.5 million (EUR 2.4 million) to enhance information sharing and investigative tactics to identify and retrieve stolen vehicles and parts around the world.

The project will see Canada increase cooperation and information-sharing with INTERPOL. It also provides for dedicated training sessions on the SMV database and the coordination of multi-country police operations specifically targeting vehicle crime in known hotspots and trafficking routes.

A global INTERPOL operation in 2022, codenamed Operation Carback and coordinated across 77 countries, led to the recovery of hundreds of cars, trucks and motorbikes in just two weeks.