Moroccan authorities intercepted a vessel carrying 70 would-be migrants, including 30 minors, during an Interpol-led four-day operation. The action, called Communis Maris, ran from October 5 to 8 and brought together agencies from 16 countries across North and West Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East. Interpol said the operation targeted migrant smuggling networks operating along the Mediterranean Sea and the West African Atlantic route. During the deployment, Moroccan officers stopped the boat in southern Morocco after it had been at sea for six days. Along the coast, authorities also seized boats intended for smuggling. Investigators went after the paperwork that keeps smuggling networks running, targeting forged documents and arresting one person suspected of supplying forged passports and recruiting people for irregular migration. Across participating states, 262 suspects were arrested. Interpol said 221 face migrant smuggling charges, 16 are accused of human trafficking, and 25 are linked to other crimes, including the production and use of fraudulent documents. The operation opened 434 new investigations, identified 109 potential victims of human trafficking, and detected 1,715 irregular migrants. Interpol added that 7,660 officers checked more than 378,000 people, monitored departure points, strengthened screening at key locations and pursued investigative leads. Interpol coordinated the operation from an Operational Coordination Unit in Athens, facilitating real-time intelligence sharing and 210,594 queries against Interpol databases. Europol, Frontex, Afripol, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime provided operational support. Other interceptions were reported across the region, including arrests tied to forged travel documents in Cyprus and Greece, money laundering-linked arrests in France, and cases involving suspected smugglers and trafficking victims in Libya and Algeria. As the crackdown continues, investigations opened during Communis Maris are expected to generate further leads and arrests in the coming months.