Recently, an INTERPOL operation to strengthen the counter-terrorism efforts has helped millions of crosschecks against international databases, resulting in 66 detentions, noteworthy seizures and the identification of 81 people subject to INTERPOL notices and dispersals. Operation Neptune VI gathered law enforcement agencies from 14 nations to enhance security measures and react around the maritime routes across the Mediterranean Sea, as well as in airports and at ground borders in the participating nations.
The endeavour carried out in partnership with WCO, FRONTEX and Europol, equipped crews with handheld devices and provided local authorities extended access to INTERPOL databases.
The operation concentrated on identifying and examining the movement patterns of Foreign Terrorist Fighters and people with connections to terrorism as well as criminal groups liable for cross-border offences such as drug trafficking, weapons smuggling and human trafficking.
During Neptune VI, which operated for approximately two weeks in each country, officials on the ground also reviewed INTERPOL records of looted vehicles and lost or stolen travel documents, which are both critical assets for facilitating terrorist allocation and mobility. By the end of the operation on 16 September 2024, more than 16 million crosschecks had been made against the various INTERPOL databases, forging 187 ‘hits’. A dozen detentions were made based on INTERPOL Red Notices. Another 54 people were arrested under national arrest warrants and for crimes caught at the border, including drugs and fraud crimes as well as the smuggling of gold, cash and weapons.
One suspect jailed as part of the operation was the subject of a Red Notice for a terror raid undertaken 23 years ago on a church in Pakistan. The offender is being held by local authorities as extradition processes are carried out. In another case, airport border police barred entry to an individual who was the subject of an INTERPOL Blue Diffusion, published in 2015. The person had previously crossed to join ISIS through a European country.
In distinction to a Red Notice which can form the basis for provisional detention, a Blue Notice or diffusion is a request between INTERPOL member governments to collect additional information regarding a person’s identity, location or activities, for a criminal probe. During the Neptune VI procedure, 29 subjects of Blue Notices and Diffusions were recognised, allowing officers to chase individuals with ties to terrorism.