Pre-operational training
November and December 2020
Democratic Republic of the Congo
We delivered four training sessions in the Eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo to best prepare national law enforcement officers for upcoming operations in Central Africa. Affected by conflicts and armed groups, these provinces are where most illicit firearms are seized in the country.
The training helped establish firearm focal points and to set up a workflow between police, the Gendarmerie, customs and judicial services. In this way, data relating to firearms trafficking can be properly collected, and the intelligence exploited to support operations, investigations and prosecutions. Central to this is INTERPOL’s iARMS database (funded by the European Union).
Operation Kafo II
30 November - 6 December 2020
Coordinated jointly by INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), frontline officers targeted smuggling hotspots at airports, seaports, and land borders in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Niger.
Officers checked more than 12,000 individuals, vehicles, containers and goods against international criminal databases. As well as arresting a number of suspected terrorists, officers seized 50 firearms, more than 40,000 sticks of dynamite and a range of other contraband goods such as fuel.
Operation Kafo I
11 - 17 November 2019
This regional operation in West Africa saw arrests and seizures in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. Over seven days, 110 officers from police, customs, border and prosecution services intercepted illicit firearms and made connections with associated criminal activity, including terrorism.
Operation Trigger V
22-28 February 2019
Operation Trigger V took place across eight countries in Latin America – Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama. 42,000 checks were carried out at known trafficking hotspots including land, air and sea border points.
Some 850 firearms were recovered and 560 individuals were arrested.
Operation Trigger IV – MENA
18-26 September 2018
Operation Trigger IV took place across four countries in the Middle East and North Africa region – Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco. Checks were carried out at known trafficking hotspots including land, air and sea border points.
Some 57 firearms were recovered and 17 individuals arrested for firearms offences. Authorities also seized cash in several currencies totaling EUR 1.3 million along with heroin and synthetic drugs with a street value of EUR 200,000.
Operation Trigger III – Africa
20-24 November 2017
This was a joint operation between INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Customs Organization and eight African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria). Checks were carried out at known trafficking hotspots including land, air and sea border points.
Official seized 152 firearms and arrested 50 individuals for firearms-related offences. Significant quantities of drugs and counterfeited pharmaceutical products were also recovered during the operation. Subsequent investigations were conducted to establish the provenance of the firearms seized and to identify the people and networks involved in the firearms trafficking chain.
Operation Trigger II
6-8 April 2017, Europe
Some 7,840 officers from 23 countries across Europe seized some 320 illicit firearms – including a rocket launcher and a machine gun – and almost 20,000 pieces of ammunition, along with grenades and explosives.
Operation Balkan Trigger
17-19 April 2016, Southeast Europe
Some 5,000 officers from six countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) seized nearly 40 illicit firearms, six kg of explosives, 11 hand grenades and other contraband. This operation clearly showed the link between firearms and other forms of organized crime activities
Simultaneous operations targeting small arms and light weapons (SALW)
10-11 December 2015, Southern Africa
Simultaneous operations targeting SALW were conducted in eight countries in Southern Africa. During the operation, 211 firearms and 972 rounds of ammunition were recovered.
For more information or questions, please contact the INTERPOL Firearms Programme.
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