Interpol: 45 Arrested in Africa in Counterterrorism and Drug Operations

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) announced on Thursday that it had arrested 45 individuals in West Africa over the past three months during operations targeting drug trafficking and terrorism financing.

Interpol, headquartered in France, stated that among those arrested was a person suspected of belonging to ISIS, who was apprehended at the border between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Another individual from North Africa was suspected of attempting to travel across Europe to join the group in Syria.

Additionally, the operations resulted in the seizure of cocaine worth over $50 million in Cape Verde, as well as 10 tons of amphetamine pills in Burkina Faso.

Mohamed Moussa from Interpol stated, “This operation is a significant step in disrupting the activities of transnational organized crime networks that threaten regional stability and undermine efforts to build peace and promote development in West Africa.”