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.

The Nigerian Police supported Operation mark about the third rescue operation successfully carried out by the Ghana Police Service this year.

About four months ago, a group of two hundred and two (202) Ghanaians who were lured with fake promises such as lucrative job opportunities in foreign countries by a human trafficking and scam syndicate, Q-Net (QuestNet International), operating in Nigeria, were rescued and repatriated, according to Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

“The traffickers lure unsuspecting compatriots under the pretext of facilitating their travel to France or other European countries for lucrative job opportunities”, he said.

Also, in a separate development, Ghana Police, in a joint operation with the International Police (INTERPOL), launched a crack down on scammers in the country, arresting sixty-eight suspected individuals involved in romance scams and sextortion.

In a release shared by INTERPOL on its official website, the international security agency revealed that the operation, dubbed Operation Contender 3.0 and funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime project, discovered that these criminal syndicates caused USD 450,000 in financial losses, with USD 70,000 recovered in cash.

“Ghanaian authorities arrested 68 individuals, seized 835 devices and identified 108 victims. Their investigations revealed USD 450,000 in financial losses, with USD 70,000 recovered,” excerpts of the statement revealed.

According to INTERPOL, the operation was targeted at criminal networks exploiting social media and dating platforms to carry out romance scams and sextortion.

“The crackdown targeted transnational criminal networks exploiting digital platforms, particularly social media, to manipulate victims and defraud them financially. Specifically, the operation focused on romance scams, where perpetrators build online relationships to extract money from victims, and sextortion, in which victims are blackmailed with explicit images or videos,” the statement said.

INTERPOL explained: “…For romance scams, the suspects had used fake profiles, forged identities and stolen images to deceive victims. The scammers extracted payments using a range of schemes, including fake courier and customs shipment fees. In sextortion cases, offenders secretly recorded intimate videos during explicit chats and used them for blackmail.”