LYON, France, (CMC) – 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, record drug hauls and more than 500 arrests across the Caribbean.

An operational hub was hosted by Caricom IMPACS in Barbados. Officers from Interpol, the Joint Regional Communications Centre (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.

Subsequently, a statement posted on the Interpol website on Thursday said that Operation Trigger VII, which was conducted from September 24-30, saw officers from 19 countries coordinate controls at airports, seaports, land border 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 carried out targeted checks at firearms dealerships, shooting ranges and private security companies.

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 used to control the illegal drug trade.

The operation also included 510 arrests during, including the subject of an Interpol Red Notice as the suspect was wanted for murder.

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.