LYON, France – A joint firearms operation between the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) has led to the seizure of some 350 weapons, 3,300 rounds of ammunition and record drug hauls and more than 500 arrests across the Caribbean.
A statement posted on the Interpol website on Thursday said that Operation Trigger VII, which was conducted September 24-30, saw officers from 19 countries coordinate controls at airports, seaports, land borders, and inland hotspots, acting on intelligence that pointed to organized crime groups and individuals involved in firearms trafficking. They also searched warehouses, inspected packages, and conducted targeted checks at firearms dealerships, shooting ranges, and private security companies.
Police made 510 arrests during the week-long operation, including the subject of an Interpol Red Notice wanted for murder.
Trigger VII actions also led to the seizure of 10.1 tonnes of cocaine and 2.5 tonnes of cannabis, highlighting the convergence of trafficking routes and the use of firearms to control the illegal drug trade.
CARICOM IMPACS hosted an operational hub in Barbados. Officers from Interpol, the Joint Regional Communications Center (JRCC), the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), worked side-by-side to provide real-time assistance to officers in the field.
The participating countries were Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, France (Guadeloupe and Martinique), Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.
Giving examples of some of the seizures, Interpol said police in Dominica discovered 20 pistols and multiple rounds of ammunition hidden in cereal boxes. Investigations are continuing both in the United States and Dominica.
HSI and the Royal Bahamas Police Force also worked closely on an international controlled delivery from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau. The package, which had been flagged in the US, was monitored throughout its shipment to seize two firearms and arrest the recipient.
“Several emerging trends were identified throughout the operation,” Interpol said. “In St Kitts and Nevis, for example, officers saw their first seizure of firearms assembled using ’80 percent pistol frames. Also known as ghost guns, these weapons are unserialized and untraceable as they are often completed at home using specialized kits, allowing individuals to bypass gun laws and checks.”
In another case, authorities in Jamaica, with support from US law enforcement, made a record-setting bust when they intercepted 500.2 kg of cocaine – worth approximately US$25 million – about to be loaded onto a private jet bound for Canada. In a separate case, they also seized 500kg of cannabis.
In Curaçao, the Coast Guard stopped vessels carrying 3 tonnes cocaine and 1.8 tonnes of cannabis. Authorities made 17 arrests in connection with the shipments, believed to have originated in Venezuela. Officers in Bonaire made similar interceptions of cocaine en route from Venezuela, seizing nearly 4 tonnes.
“Several countries reported reverse trafficking routes, an increasing trend, with seizures of cannabis coming from Canada and the United States into the Caribbean region. Cannabis plants, forged US currency, stolen vehicles and vessels, contraband cigarettes, and alcohol were also seized during the operation,” Interpol said.
Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said the results of Operation Trigger VII show how firearms are clear enablers of most types of crime.
“When we go after their weapons, we also go after the full range of activities carried out by organized crime groups,” he said.
“The results also highlight the power law enforcement bodies can achieve when we work in a joint, coordinated manner, sharing information in real-time on cross-border investigations.”
Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS, added, “without this cohesive action among agencies, our region will not be able to tackle illicit trafficking effectively and, by extension, transnational organized crime.”
“Operation Trigger VII allowed authorities to understand better-existing threats, patterns, trends, and smuggling channels within the region, ultimately saving lives. I am proud of CARICOM IMPACS’s role in the exercise and as a coordination hub,” Jones said.
Stephen Kavanagh, Interpol’s Executive Director of Police Services, highlighted that the operation was the first joint effort between Interpol and CARICOM IMPACS against firearms and would likely yield results for months to come as investigations continue.
The operation was carried out under INTERPOL’s Project Target framework, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
and then 
