The Judicial Poice have announced that seven people have been arrested in Portugal, as part of the “largest operation ever carried out” against human trafficking, coordinated worldwide by Interpol.
In Portugal, the PJ coordinated the operation, which included “three house searches in the towns of Sacavém, Sines and Serpa.”
The operation named “Liberterra II” took place between September 29 and October 4 in 116 countries and territories, with a total of 2,517 people being arrested, 850 of whom were for trafficking, 3,222 potential victims being rescued and 17,793 irregular immigrants being identified.
“In Portugal, seven people were arrested (one for human trafficking, another for drug trafficking, three for using counterfeit documents and two for illegally staying in the country)”, as well as “4,203 citizens identified, 23 locations inspected and six inquiries opened”, the PJ said in a statement.
"Human and migrant trafficking is increasingly linked to other forms of crime, often using the same criminal networks and routes,” the International Criminal Police Organization stressed, explaining that this is an overlap that “amplifies the profits and power of organized criminal groups.”
Source Lusa - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
