Interpol announced 85 arrests in 17-country operation
Brussels – An international operation across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe resulted in the arrests of 85 persons wanted by Interpol, and the location of 18 others, the international police force announced from its headquarters in the French city of Lyon.
Investigators from 17 countries participated in a six-month campaign from June to November to share intelligence and target 184 high-priority cases, the International Criminal Police Organisation said.
The operation targeted “the most dangerous fugitives wanted for violent crimes or links to transnational organised crime,” it said.
Among those arrested, 19 were wanted for murder, 29 for drug trafficking, 28 for crimes against children and seven for rape. Others were detained for human trafficking, money laundering and other offences linked to crime syndicates.
Further arrests were expected, it said.
Detailing the arrests, Interpol said that Lissette Ysabel Rojas Guevara, one of Chile’s most wanted suspects, who is thought to be linked to the organised crime group Tren de Aragua, was arrested in Spain in connection with a 150 million dollar cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The scheme was used to launder proceeds from drug trafficking and extortion across Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and the Iberian Peninsula.
In Portugal, authorities arrested Brazilian national Daniel Zago, allegedly linked to the organised crime group Primeiro Comando da Capital, known as PCC, disrupting a key cocaine trafficking corridor from São Paulo to Europe.
Albanian national Dritan Gjika was arrested in the United Arab Emirates over alleged cocaine shipments from Ecuador concealed as banana exports, and in Ecuador Lithuanian fugitive LG was detained in connection with drug trafficking.
The operation was conducted under an EU-funded project seeking to establish a permanent international network of fugitive investigators. (December 29)
