Interpol-Led Drug Bust Nets 287 Arrests, $100 Million in Narcotics Across Africa and Middle East

Called Lionfish, these two operations that took place between March and April over a two-week period on the African continent and in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region proved fruitful. In total, 287 people were arrested and drugs with an estimated market value of nearly 100 million euros were seized, Interpol said in a statement, stressing that the results of these operations "provide a glimpse of the international drug trafficking underworld, with criminals constantly seeking new routes and new means to smuggle drugs across borders."

"The striking results of these two operations demonstrate the scale of the illicit drug trade and its international nature," said Jürgen Stock, Interpol’s Secretary General. According to him, drug trafficking is "a threat we are collectively facing and the massive seizures made under Operation Lionfish show what is possible when law enforcement agencies combine their efforts to fight back."

In detail, the two Lionfish operations led to the seizure of 17 tons of cannabis resin worth 31 million euros in warehouses in Niamey (Niger) - the largest seizure in the country’s history - as well as the seizure by the South African police of 973 bricks of