** More than 200 arrests in a crackdown against the smuggling and trafficking of migrants.
THE NEWS ALERTS - PODCASTS MEDIA – Lyon - 11/Dec/2020
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdTKkMpdVHk
-- More than 200 arrests in a crackdown against the smuggling and trafficking of migrants. Lyon | A recent operation coordinated by Interpol led to the arrest of more than 200 smugglers, traffickers and people suspected of trafficking migrants on four continents, announced Friday the international organization for police cooperation based in Lyon, France. Carried out between November 27 and December 3, “Operation Turquesa II” involved 32 American, African, European and Asian countries with the support of the Interpol program against the smuggling of migrants, Europol, the Office International Migration Agency (IOM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Among the 200 arrests recorded, 30 concerned cases of sexual exploitation of migrant women or human trafficking, said Interpol in a statement. In Mexico, the police inter alia arrested the alleged leader of a criminal group that was transporting migrants from the Cuban coast to Mexico, where they were deprived of their liberty, threatened and tortured, the organization explains. In total, nearly 100 potential victims of trafficking have been identified and rescued in Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Spain and Uruguay, adds Interpol. “Operation Turquesa II demonstrates how criminal organizations continue to take advantage of vulnerable people in search of a better life, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and demand large sums of money from them with little or no concern for their well-being, ”Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in the statement. An action in Brazil against the criminal groups Sonho Americano, Lei do Retorno and CaiCai III, revealed that criminals were charging would-be immigrants to the United States approximately $ 22,000. During this operation, Interpol issued 18 red notices, 367 blue notices requesting information on potential suspects, 188 yellow notices on missing persons and four blue notices on information sharing on criminals' modus operandi.

** INTERPOL operation targets migrant smuggling and human trafficking
11 December 2020
Full Article: https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2020/INTERPOL-operation-targets-migrant-smuggling-and-human-trafficking
-- International operation brings down criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and related crimes
LYON, France – An operation led by INTERPOL targeting international migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks has led to more than 200 arrests and the identification of some 3,500 irregular migrants in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia.
Operation Turquesa II (27 November – 3 December) saw authorities in 32 countries across multiple continents act on leads generated by national investigations before the operation, with support from INTERPOL’s programme against the smuggling of migrants.
More than 50,000 checks against INTERPOL databases were made at air, land and sea borders as well as national hotspots throughout the one-week operation coordinated from Brazilian Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia, with round-the-clock support from INTERPOL’s Command and Coordination Centre.
The operation also involved the INTERPOL Specialized Operational Network (ISON) against migrant smuggling, an international law enforcement network of specialists from immigration, customs and investigative units operating in source, transit and destination countries.
Operational highlights
• Thanks to reinforced border controls, authorities in Panama arrested the subject of a Red Notice wanted internationally in connection with a murder in Mexico.
• INTERPOL notices generated during the operation include 18 Red Notices for internationally wanted suspects, 367 Blue Notices for persons of interest, 188 Yellow Notices for missing persons, and 4 Purple Notices on new criminal modus operandi.
• In Mexico, authorities arrested the alleged leader of a Mexican-based organized crime group smuggling migrants from the coast of Cuba using speed boats. Once in Mexico, the migrants were taken to a house, deprived of their liberty, threatened and tortured.
• Close to 100 potential victims of human trafficking were identified and rescued in Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Spain and Uruguay.
• More than 30 of the arrests were tied to the prevalence of sexual exploitation of female migrants and human trafficking victims.
Operation Turquesa II highlighted the growing concern that individuals who previously had a low risk of becoming victims of human trafficking have become vulnerable to this crime as a result of the pandemic and the increased desperation of at-risk individuals.