The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has arrested 262 suspects and opened 434 investigations in a multinational operation targeting criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking across the Mediterranean Sea and the West African Atlantic route.
The operation also identified 109 potential victims of human trafficking and intercepted 1,715 irregular migrants, as authorities intensified efforts to dismantle criminal networks and prevent dangerous irregular migration.
INTERPOL disclosed the figures in a statement published on its website on Tuesday, following the four-day Operation Communis Maris conducted between October 5 and 8, 2026.
The agency said 221 of those arrested were suspected of migrant smuggling, 16 were linked to human trafficking, while 25 others were apprehended over offences including the production and use of fraudulent documents.
The operation involved law enforcement and border management agencies from 16 countries across North and West Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East, with support from Europol, Frontex, AFRIPOL, the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
During the exercise, 7,660 officers screened more than 378,000 people, monitored identified hotspots and strengthened security checks at strategic locations, while 210,594 searches were conducted through INTERPOL databases to obtain criminal intelligence.
The Director of Organised and Emerging Crime at INTERPOL, David Caunter, said the operation was necessary to disrupt criminal groups exploiting vulnerable migrants through abuse, extortion and dangerous journeys across major migration routes.
“The Mediterranean Sea is one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors, claiming thousands of lives annually. Smugglers exploit vulnerable populations, often subjecting them to abuse, extortion and trafficking, as well as risking migrants’ lives on overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels,” he said.
Caunter added that INTERPOL would continue facilitating cross-border collaboration to help countries identify criminals, dismantle their networks and save lives.
The agency also reported several operations carried out by participating countries, including the interception of a vessel by Moroccan authorities carrying 70 prospective migrants, among them 30 minors, who had spent six days at sea.
In another incident, Mauritanian authorities intercepted a wooden boat carrying 80 passengers, including two children, after receiving an alert from Senegalese officials, arresting three suspected organisers.
Tunisian security operatives also disrupted an attempted illegal sea crossing, arresting three suspected organisers and recovering a boat, marine engine and other equipment.
The agency said participating authorities identified 41 organised criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling during the operation.
In Libya, authorities rescued 34 potential victims of human trafficking and arrested three suspects allegedly linked to a criminal network involved in trafficking, migrant smuggling and extortion.
Similarly, Algerian law enforcement officers arrested six suspects over their alleged involvement in a migrant-smuggling network, including activities that endangered minors.
In Syria, coordinated maritime patrols and surveillance operations led to a raid on a facility allegedly used by migrant smugglers, resulting in the arrest of seven suspects, including the suspected leader of the network, while 22 irregular migrants were intercepted.
INTERPOL added that authorities in Cyprus and Greece arrested suspects over attempts to travel with forged documents, while Moroccan officials apprehended an individual suspected of supplying fake passports and recruiting people for irregular migration.