Police raids in Ivory Coast rescued 33 West Africans from a human trafficking ring that lured victims with fake job offers in Canada. The victims were coerced into creating fraudulent online images to scam others. The operation, a joint effort with Ghana, uncovered the scheme and led to support for the victims.

Police raids have successfully rescued 33 West Africans from a human trafficking operation in Ivory Coast, which exploited victims by luring them with promises of jobs in Canada, according to an announcement from the international police agency Interpol on Tuesday.

The victims, who were promised work opportunities abroad, paid as much as $9,000 to fraudulent recruiters. These recruiters, however, trafficked them to the city of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, where they were held under both physical and psychological coercion, as reported by Interpol in a statement.

Additionally, the victims were forced to participate in further scams by creating fake images of themselves in luxurious restaurants and hotels. They were made to post these photos online, pretending to be living in Canada, in order to deceive others into believing they had successfully found jobs abroad. The traffickers also allowed the victims limited contact with their families to perpetuate the illusion of their lives in Canada.

The raids, which took place in February, targeted two locations linked to the trafficking ring. This operation was a joint effort between the Ivory Coast and Ghana, from where some of the victims originated. The scheme was initially exposed when the father of two victims reported the situation to Ghanaian authorities. The victims came from various West African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ghana.

Youssouf Kouyate, the director general of the Ivory Coast National Police, praised the “close cooperation” between the Ghanaian police, Interpol, and Ivory Coast's authorities, as well as the “bravery of the victims who came forward to assist in this investigation.”

Following their rescue, the 33 victims were referred to a nongovernmental organization for further evaluation and support, as stated by Interpol.

This type of scam has become increasingly prevalent in West Africa. Law enforcement agencies throughout the region have carried out large-scale raids in recent years, including a notable operation in 2024 that led to the arrest of over 300 people involved in similar schemes.

Interpol, with its network of 196 member countries, facilitates communication among national police forces to track down criminals involved in various illegal activities, including counterterrorism, financial crime, child exploitation, cybercrime, and organized crime.