INTERPOL has arrested 262 suspects in a crackdown targeting migrant smuggling networks operating along Mediterranean and West African Atlantic routes. The four-day operation, dubbed Communis Maris, ran from October 5 to 8, 2026, with authorities opening 434 investigations into suspected organised crime activity. During the operation, INTERPOL said 7,660 law enforcement and border management officers checked more than 378,000 people, monitored migration hotspots and pursued intelligence on suspected networks. Officials were deployed to an Operational Coordination Unit in Athens, Greece, to support real-time intelligence sharing, and INTERPOL facilitated 210,594 searches of its policing databases. Of the 262 arrests, 221 are suspected of migrant smuggling. Sixteen suspects are suspected of human trafficking, while 25 are linked to other offences, including the production and use of fraudulent documents. The operation also identified 109 potential trafficking victims and detected 1,715 irregular migrants across 16 countries. Investigators intercepted vessels carrying migrants attempting dangerous sea crossings. In southern Morocco, officers stopped a boat with 70 people, including 30 minors, after it had been at sea for six days. Mauritanian authorities intercepted a wooden boat carrying 80 passengers, including two children, following an alert from Senegalese officials. Three suspected organisers were arrested. In Libya, authorities rescued 34 potential trafficking victims and arrested three suspects linked to an organised criminal group allegedly involved in trafficking, migrant smuggling and extortion. In Syria, coordinated maritime surveillance led to a raid on premises allegedly used by migrant smugglers, with seven suspects arrested, including an alleged ringleader, and 22 irregular migrants intercepted. Additional arrests were reported in Tunisia, Algeria, Cyprus, Greece, Morocco and France, targeting suspected smugglers, document fraud networks and people accused of facilitating irregular migration. Participating agencies identified 41 organised criminal groups and uncovered dozens of social media accounts advertising irregular migration and smuggling services. The operation was led by INTERPOL with support from Europol, Frontex, AFRIPOL, the International Organisation for Migration and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Intelligence gathered and the 434 newly opened investigations are expected to generate further leads and arrests in the coming months.