Three hundred and twenty individuals in Kumasi have been  arrested by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO)  in its fight against organised crime.

The raid, carried out today, Thursday, November 6, 2025, was announced by EOCO as a major breakthrough in its ongoing operation against human trafficking and economic crimes linked to the QNET fraud scheme.

Of that number, 25 are being treated as suspected members of the fraud and trafficking network, while the remaining 295 are believed to be victims who were lured into QNET-related employment and human trafficking schemes.

This operation is larger than the Kasoa raid two weeks ago, which resulted in more than 26 arrests.

EOCO says this major raid was not random but the result of months of careful investigations, showing its commitment to tracking down and prosecuting people involved in economic and organised crime.

The 25 people believed to be behind the scheme are being questioned and will face deeper investigations, with the aim of taking them to court and securing convictions under Ghana’s laws.

The agency is also actively working with QNET to "clamp down on the misuse of their brand name to traffic and defraud innocent individuals."

EOCO has assured the public that it will keep fighting financial and organised crime, and is encouraging people to report anything suspicious.

The QNET scheme is known for tricking people with promises of big profits or well-paid jobs abroad, but many end up being deceived, trapped in debt, or forced to recruit others.

This is why the operation is considered both a fraud and a human trafficking scheme disguised as a business opportunity.

EOCO’s action targets the local actors exploiting the model.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), in a joint operation on Friday, October 17, busted a human trafficking syndicate operated mainly by Ghanaians and Ivorians.

In a statement shared the same day, the crime intelligence agency announced that following the raid, it had successfully rescued 26 victims of human trafficking, comprising sixteen (16) Ghanaians and ten (10) Ivorians.

These nationals had fallen victim to job opportunity scams run by individuals posing as recruitment agents for QNET, a multinational company known for its wellness and lifestyle products.

The operation, dubbed “Operation Quest,” was conducted by EOCO’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in collaboration with QNET, around 10:30 a.m.

“The operation, code-named Operation Quest, followed intelligence that some foreigners and Ghanaians had been trafficked under the guise of employment with the QNET Company — a reputable organisation that trades in wellness and lifestyle products.

The suspects include two (2) Ivorians and seven (7) Ghanaians, while the victims were made up of ten (10) Ivorians and sixteen (16) Ghanaians,” the statement noted.

The organisation clarified that these individuals had no legitimate ties to the company and were exploiting QNET’s reputation to carry out their illicit activities.

“All nine (9) suspects are currently in the custody of EOCO to assist in investigations,” parts of the statement added.

EOCO cautioned the public against falling for such scams and advised that all reports of employment offers purportedly from QNET be directed to the appropriate authorities. It also reminded the public that the company is working to restore its reputation, which has suffered due to impersonation by groups and agencies using its name for fraudulent recruitment schemes.

“EOCO wishes to advise the general public to report all cases of individuals and groups who claim to be agents of QNET who can provide job opportunities at the company, either in Ghana or abroad.

In July this year, EOCO and QNET signed a joint MoU to clamp down on criminal actors using the name of QNET to traffic persons,” the statement continued.

EOCO further emphasised its commitment to protecting the public from organised crime and encouraged anyone with relevant information to contact the office directly via its official channels.

Meanwhile, barely two months ago, the Ghana Police, in a collaborative intelligence-aided operation with the operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, rescued twenty (20) Ghanaians who were trafficked to the Uyo Local Government Area of Abia State.

The twenty included 10 females and 10 males, all confirmed to be Ghanaian nationals.

The rescue was announced by the command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), DSP Timfon John, in a statement in Uyo on Wednesday.

In the statement, she disclosed that the rescue operation was undertaken following an official request for assistance from the Ghana Police Service and INTERPOL.

“On August 18, 2025, operatives of the command successfully rescued 20 Ghanians trafficked to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

‘’The human trafficking victims were rescued from a compound in Obio Etoi village, Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, after an operation that was a collaborative effort following a formal request for assistance from the Ghana Police Service and INTERPOL, she revealed adding that "the raid led to the rescue of 10 males and 10 females (names withheld), all confirmed to be Ghanaian nationals," the statement read.

The victims who were rescued in a well-fenced building around 4 pm, John revealed, appeared disoriented and unable to speak. Investigators believe their orientation and countenance suggest potential hypnotism hence their inability to assist with investigations.

“Acting on credible information, operatives surrounded a well-fenced building at approximately 1617 hours on Monday, August 18, 2025

‘’The victims presently appear disoriented and have been unable to provide useful information, leading investigators to suspect they might have been hypnotised", John added.

However, investigations are underway "…and further developments will be communicated to the public as they become available,’’ the statement added.