Brussels – An operation carried out simultaneously across five continents has led to the arrest of 1,024 people and the identification of 2,070 potential victims of human trafficking, according to Europol. The operation, code-named “Operation GLOBAL CHAIN,” took place from 8 to 12 June 2026 and was coordinated by Europol, Frontex, and Interpol, and involved 59 countries under the EMPACT framework, with Austria as the lead country and Romania as co-leader.
The crackdown focused on human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced criminal activity, and forced begging, with particular attention paid to underage victims. Of the total arrests, 334 relate to the specific offence of human trafficking, while the remaining 690 relate to other related offences. A further 201 suspects were identified, 465 new investigations were opened, and 80 cases of document fraud were uncovered.
Of the victims identified, 1,908 are adults, and 162 are minors. Investigative data indicate that 64.2 per cent of the victims were trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, 20.9 per cent for forced criminal activity, 11.3 per cent for forced labour, and 1.5 per cent for forced begging. Among the child victims, the proportion of sexual exploitation rises to 86.4 per cent.
The potential victims come mainly from Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Nepal, and Moldova, confirming the global scale of the trafficking. Over 40,000 officers took part in the operation, checking 565,470 people, 360,317 identity documents, 140,737 vehicles, 20,342 locations, and 6,133 flights and vessels. International coordination was managed by two operational centres, in Skopje and Rio de Janeiro.
Article written with the assistance of AI.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
