An Interpol co-ordinated border security operation in West Africa saw 45 arrests and the seizure of drugs, counterfeit medicines and stolen vehicles worth millions of dollars.
Operation Screen West Africa, over a five-week period late last year, saw law enforcement agencies from 12 West African countries collectively strengthen border security and disrupt transnational organised crime networks.
Among its higher profile outcomes during the 21 October to 24 November operation was detection of a suspected Islamic State member at the Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso tri-border area and thwarting plans of a North African suspect planning to transit through Europe to join ISIS in Syria, according to an Interpol statement.
Frontline officers at land, air and sea border points were provided with Interpol mobile devices (IMDs) to access Interpol critical global intelligence, enabling them to conduct in real time over 1.3 million checks against Interpol databases.
Checks against Interpol’s stolen and lost travel documents database detected 82 individuals travelling on stolen and irregular passports. Mauritanian authorities launched an investigation into international trafficking of French and Spanish passports.
Eleven suspects wanted internationally under Interpol Red Notices were arrested during the operation.
Operational seizures included: 1.6 tonnes of cocaine worth over $50 million in Cabo Verde; 10 tonnes of amphetamines in Burkina Faso; 33 types of counterfeit medicines in Benin, and 40 tonnes of sub-standard pharmaceuticals in Côte d’Ivoire.
A hundred plus luxury vehicles stolen in Canada and European countries were recovered, exposing a network trafficking stolen cars to West Africa. Almost half the stolen vehicles originated from Canada, where data sharing via an Interpol database helped identify over 1 500 stolen Canadian vehicles worldwide since February 2024.
The proceeds from stolen vehicle sales often fund organised crime activities, including arms smuggling, drug trafficking and terror networks, the international police organisation said.
Commenting on Operation Screen, Côte d’Ivoire Police Commissaire Divisionnaire Ami Flora Savane Fanny said: “By addressing critical challenges that transcend borders, the operation demonstrated the power of international collaboration in combating the scourges of organised crime and terrorism which undermine the security of our populations and weaken the foundations of our institutions.”
Mohamed Moussa, Interpol Operation Screen Co-ordinator saw Screen as “a critical step in disrupting transnational organised crime networks that threaten regional stability and undermine efforts to build peace and foster development across West Africa”.
Participating countries were Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
