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An INTERPOL-led operation codenamed ‘Maharlika III’ saw law enforcement from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines (BIMP) deploy to strategic points along known terrorist transit routes in Southeast Asia in a series of simultaneous law enforcement and border control actions. The coordinated move – from 24 February to 20 March in the midst of the global COVID-19 outbreak – resulted in the arrest of more than 180 individuals for various offences, including one suspected member of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The operation saw 82 victims of human trafficking, mainly young women aged between 20 and 30, rescued by Philippine authorities. In addition, Indonesian authorities identified and rescued a further 35 adults and 17 children (12 boys and five girls), aged between 10 and 15 years, arriving from Malaysia. Firearms, illegally assembled explosives made of ammonium nitrate and other illicit goods and substances worth more than one million euros were also seized. With participating units on the front lines provided with direct access to INTERPOL’s global databases, authorities were able to run more than 13,000 checks on travel documents, firearms and nominal data. “The COVID-19 pandemic will not stop terrorist and organized crime groups from pursuing their activities, which means law enforcement operations must, and do, continue,” said Karel Pelán, Assistant Director of INTERPOL’s counter-terrorism unit. “The results of Operation Maharlika III confirm the strategic importance of securing travel routes used by terrorists and criminals in the BIMP region, even during a global health crisis,” added Mr Pelán. The World Customs Organization also partnered in the operation, coordinating the role of customs agents and reporting seizures to INTERPOL National Central Bureaus in each of the four participating countries.
