Recent police raids in Ivory Coast have led to 33 West Africans being freed from a human trafficking ring, reports ABC. Ivory Coast and Ghanaian authorities successfully carried out the rescue thanks to a joint investigation, close cooperation, and support from INTERPOL spurred by a tip off from an escaped victim.
Fake job ads and staged photos
It began with fake job ads online in Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ghana. Paying up to $9,000 USD, new hires were supposedly traveling to Canada for work. The recruiting agency used a Canadian phone number to make their offers seem credible. However, on arrival, new recruits found they had instead been trafficked to Ivory Coast. But the deception didn’t stop there. The exploitative pyramid scams forced the victims to commit fraud against their will.
“To conceal the exploitation from friends and family, the organizers provided victims with Canadian contact details and prevented them from speaking openly about the situation. Victims were taken to upmarket shops or luxury hotels in Abidjan and made to pose for photos to falsely suggest a life of comfort abroad.”
An exploitative pyramid scam forces trafficked victims to prey on others by using their own “success story” as bait. Therefore, maintaining a successful image is crucial for the scam’s operation. Significantly, these types of scams are a growing threat in West and Central Africa. As with pig butchering, victims are usually promised employment or educational opportunities overseas, often going into debt to pay for the travel and administration costs required. Then they are forced under physical and psychological coercion, to perpetuate the same pyramid scam they fell for by enrolling new victims.
Border crossing crimes need international cooperation
This investigation began in Ghana when one of the victims escaped and was able to return home. Accordingly, the victim alerted the families involved and gave crucial information to the police, enabling them to begin an investigation. The investigation was helped by a police cooperation agreement between Western African countries enabling free cross-border movement for criminal investigations.
Valdecy Urquiza, INTERPOL Secretary General said:
“This success involving Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana is an excellent example of how important police cooperation is when it comes to fighting human trafficking scams. Because of their joint efforts, victims have been saved and those responsible are now facing justice. INTERPOL will continue supporting our member countries’ work to bring down these criminal networks and put an end to human trafficking in all its forms.”
During the investigation, INTERPOL acted as a coordinator between Ivory Coast and Ghana. Working together, they were able to organize raids on the two key locations. The successful mission, carried out by specialized agencies in Ivory Coast, resulted in two arrests and the release of 33 victims.
Youssouf Kouyate, Director General of the Côte d’Ivoire National Police, said:
“Our close cooperation with INTERPOL and Ghanaian police was pivotal to the achievements of this operation and is a testament to the strength of our regional partnerships. I would like to commend the bravery of the victims who came forward to assist in this investigation and to reaffirm our commitment to pursuing and dismantling the networks that perpetrate these crimes.”
Freedom United echoes the commendation of the bravery of the victims who came forward in this investigation and investigations everywhere.
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