This year operation, codenamed "Global Chain", was carried out from 1 to 6 June 2025 and was led by law enforcement agencies from Austria and Romania, with the coordination and support of EUROPOL, FRONTEX and INTERPOL. Almost 15,000 officers from 43 different countries participated in the operation and 158 traffickers were arrested and 1,194 victims were protected. The focus of the "Global Chain" operation was on combating trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced crime and forced begging.
With the aim of successfully implementing this international operational action in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 2 to 6 June 2025, at the level of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH (hereinafter: the Directorate), a National Coordination Center was established, which coordinated all activities in the territory of our country, together with the Central Coordination Center in Warsaw. Representatives of the competent bodies in BiH, participants in the action, participated in the work of the National Coordination Center.
The operational action was attended by 13 law enforcement agencies in BiH (Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH, State Investigation and Protection Agency, Border Police of BiH, Service for Foreigners Affairs of BiH, Federal Police Administration, Police of Brčko District of BiH, MoI of Sarajevo Canton, MoI of Tuzla Canton, MoI of Zenica-Doboj Canton, MoI of Central Bosnia Canton, MoI of West Herzegovina Canton, MoI of Una-Sana Canton and MoI of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton) with the active participation of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH and the National Contact Point for Cooperation of BiH with EUROPOL. All involved bodies acted in accordance with their scope of work and legal competences, with coordination of activities at the level of the National Coordination Center.
3,220 officers from 13 law enforcement agencies were engaged in the action and 195 points were established at targeted hotspots. As part of the above activities 41,933 people, 6,318 vehicles, 126 locations and 71 flights/aircraft were controlled.
As a result of the above activities, 20 potential victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced begging and forced marriage were discovered (citizens of China, Brazil and Bosnia and Herzegovina). Three persons were apprehended for the criminal offense of international recruitment for prostitution and international human trafficking (one citizen of China and two citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina), while active work is underway to identify the perpetrators of all detected criminal offenses and document illegal activities. Two INTERPOL yellow warrants were issued and searches of premises were carried out at several locations, which items that can serve as evidence in further proceedings (mobile phones, laptops, personal documents, cash) and other items indicating the commission of criminal offenses.
During the operational action, protected channels of EUROPOL, INTERPOL and SELEC were used, that enabled a quick and efficient exchange of information and cross-checks at the national and international levels.
Based on the preliminary results of the action, four new investigations were initiated at the national level for crimes related to human trafficking (forced marriage, forced begging, prostitution) and forgery of documents. Seven potential investigations were initiated at the international level, including the crimes of international solicitation for prostitution, international trafficking in human beings, forgery of documents and smuggling of people.
We would like to emphasize that the two most prominent cases related to the crime of international recruitment for prostitution and international trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation, in which foreign victims (Chinese and Brazilian) were identified, were coordinated at the level of the National Coordination Center of the Directorate. The first information was shared by the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, after which the Federal Police Administration and the State Investigation and Protection Agency joined the activity. Under the supervision of the acting prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH and thanks to the rapid response and carrying out coordinated activities in the field, potential victims of human trafficking were successfully located and all necessary measures were taken for their care and collecting evidence.
In conducting this operational action, the Directorate once again confirmed its indispensable coordination role in the security sector of BiH, and as a single point of contact for international operational police cooperation.
The Director of the Directorate, Enes Karić , expresses satisfaction with the multi-agency approach within the Global Chain action and the coordinated work of law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. "Thanks to joint efforts, Bosnia and Herzegovina has achieved notable results within this international action and has distinguished as a serious partner in the fight against human trafficking internationally," emphasized Director Karić.
The activities within the Global Chain action are supported by the EU4FAST project - EU support to strengthen the fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking in the Western Balkans.