An international police operation in West and Central Africa coordinated by INTERPOL led to the identification and dismantling of 14 organised crime networks.
Operation Trigger VIII, carried out from 13 to 19 June, targeted the illicit trafficking and proliferation of firearms in Central and West Africa. 521 officers were deployed in eight countries: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
As part of this operation, 480 illicit firearms and 5,567 pieces of ammunition were recovered, 45 investigations into illegal possession and arms trafficking were opened, and two firearms trafficking networks were dismantled.
Firearms trafficking is a cross-border threat that does not exist in isolation and has links with other forms of organised crime, often fuelling and financing serious crime and terrorism. As a result, authorities launched more than 85 investigations into the links between firearms trafficking, transnational organised crime, and terrorism financing.
In total, 14 criminal networks were dismantled, which engaged in: firearms and drugs trafficking, migrant smuggling, armed robbery, fencing of stolen vehicles. This highlights the continued convergence of illicit flows.
Authorities recovered more than 45 tons of illicit goods including: 40 tons of shark fins; 818 kg of ivory; 1,337 kg of drugs; and more than three tons of counterfeit medicine. Illegal gold mining sites were also closed, with more than 26 kg of illicitly mined gold and 170 kg of explosives being seized.
Operation TRIGGER VIII has therefore succeeded in disrupting the flow of firearms and other types of illicit goods used to finance criminal and terrorist activities in West and Central Africa.
INTERPOL TRIGGER operational model
Developed by the INTERPOL Firearms Programme, the Trigger Operation Model was instrumental in the successes of this operation. Under this model, cooperation between law enforcement and the military from different countries is needed to achieve coordinated and simultaneous actions.
INTERPOL carried out one year-long preparation involving awareness campaigns, trainings and capacity-building activities with the participating countries. Various awareness campaigns and national training activities took place, focusing on INTERPOL protocols, management of judicial investigations, tracing firearms through the iARMS system, amongst others. These trainings facilitated the implementation of proactive investigative approaches.
Firearms specialised focal points were established amongst all armed forces, but also at the justice level. There was thus an efficient sharing of operational intelligence, in turn leading to sound operational plans and the prosecution of all cases. Linking the institutional chain of actors this allowed for the dismantling of transnational criminal networks. Operation Trigger VIII was supported by the European Union through Project DISRUPT.
