CID warns of ‘Model Q’ trafficking network reshaping organised crime across West Africa

The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Lydia Yaako Donkor, has warned that a new and highly sophisticated criminal model known as “Model Q” is transforming the landscape of human trafficking and migrant smuggling across West and Central Africa, with organised syndicates increasingly exploiting digital platforms to recruit and enslave vulnerable people.

Addressing participants at the opening of the EOCO-INTERPOL Three-Day Regional Coordination and Case Resolution Workshop on Combating Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling at the Ecobank Headquarters in Accra on Monday, July 6, DCOP Donkor said the region was witnessing an alarming shift from traditional trafficking methods to technology-driven criminal operations that combine online deception, financial fraud and psychological manipulation.

The workshop, organised by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in partnership with INTERPOL, has assembled investigators, prosecutors, intelligence officers and law enforcement officials from across West and Central Africa to strengthen regional cooperation against cross-border trafficking, migrant smuggling and organised scam networks.

The CID Director-General said while law enforcement agencies had long battled transnational organised crime, the emergence of Model Q represented a significant escalation in both sophistication and scale.

“As law enforcement officers, we are all too familiar with the evolving nature of transnational organised crime. However, the threat we are gathered here to confront over the next three days, the ‘Model Q’ modus operandi, represents a particularly sinister and sophisticated evolution in human trafficking and migrant smuggling.”

DCOP Donkor explained that traffickers have moved away from conventional recruitment methods and are now relying heavily on digital technologies to identify and exploit victims.

She said Model Q is built around deception, using online platforms to create an illusion of legitimate opportunities before victims are trapped in exploitative situations.

“Traditional methods of trafficking are being aggressively replaced by digital deception,” she said.

“‘Model Q’ is not merely a crime of physical coercion; it is an engineered system that weaponises online platforms, social media and fraudulent employment portals to target our young, vulnerable adults.”

According to her, traffickers have become increasingly sophisticated in manipulating technology to gain the trust of unsuspecting victims, many of whom are searching for employment, education or better economic opportunities abroad.

She noted that the growing reliance on digital recruitment has made trafficking networks more difficult to detect, as criminal operations can now recruit, coordinate and transfer victims across several countries without the need for extensive physical infrastructure.

The CID Director-General said criminal syndicates typically begin by advertising fake employment opportunities, scholarships or lucrative business ventures, convincing victims that they have secured genuine opportunities overseas.

Victims are then instructed to pay processing or administrative fees through mobile money platforms before travelling.

“By promising legitimate jobs, scholarships, or multi-level marketing opportunities, these criminal networks lure victims into paying upfront processing fees via mobile money,” she explained.

However, once victims cross international borders, the promised opportunities disappear.

DCOP Donkor revealed that many victims have their identity documents confiscated, their communications closely monitored and their movements tightly controlled by traffickers.

“Once transported across our porous borders, their identities are stripped, their communication is monitored, and they are subjected to intense psychological and ritual coercion.”

She said traffickers frequently rely on intimidation, manipulation and psychological abuse to prevent victims from escaping or contacting their families.

Perhaps the most disturbing feature of Model Q, according to the CID Director-General, is its ability to sustain itself by forcing victims to recruit new victims.

She explained that trafficked persons are often compelled to persuade friends, relatives and acquaintances to join what they believe are legitimate employment or business opportunities.

“Most alarmingly, this model forces the victims themselves to recruit the next wave of targets, creating a self-perpetuating cycle that tragically blurs the lines between victim and perpetrator.”

This recruitment model enables criminal syndicates to expand rapidly while reducing their direct exposure to law enforcement agencies.

It also creates significant investigative challenges, as individuals involved in recruitment may themselves be acting under coercion.

DCOP Donkor said understanding these dynamics would be essential if law enforcement agencies are to dismantle trafficking networks effectively while ensuring victims receive appropriate protection.

The CID Director-General stressed that the Accra workshop was intended to produce practical outcomes rather than simply facilitate discussions.

Over the course of the three-day programme, participants will move beyond policy dialogue to operational planning designed to strengthen cross-border investigations.

“Over the next three days, participants will transition from strategic coordination to direct operational planning,” she said.

“They will share actionable intelligence, analyse complex illicit financial flows like mobile money and hawala systems, and map out these cross-border networks with precision.”

She noted that tracing illicit financial flows would be central to dismantling trafficking organisations, as criminal enterprises increasingly depend on digital payment platforms and informal money transfer systems to move proceeds across jurisdictions.

The workshop will also enable investigators from different countries to identify common trafficking routes, exchange intelligence and coordinate future operations against organised criminal groups.

While reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to combating trafficking through legislation, DCOP Donkor cautioned that no legal framework could succeed without strong international collaboration.

She pointed to the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694) as evidence of Ghana’s commitment to protecting vulnerable persons and prosecuting traffickers.

However, she emphasised that organised crime operates across borders and therefore requires equally coordinated regional responses.

“Ghana stands firmly committed to this fight, anchored by our Human Trafficking Act of 2005 (Act 694) and supporting legislation. Yet, our domestic laws are only as strong as our regional operational synergy.”

She urged participating countries to strengthen cooperation between police services, immigration authorities, prosecutors, financial intelligence units and international partners to ensure traffickers cannot exploit jurisdictional gaps.

DCOP Donkor challenged delegates to ensure that the workshop delivers measurable outcomes capable of strengthening ongoing investigations across the region.

She said participants had a responsibility to move beyond policy discussions and translate intelligence into coordinated enforcement operations.

“Your task as participants is immense, but absolutely vital. You are not just here to deliberate; you are here to operationalise ongoing transnational investigations and draft a concrete, regional operational plan for immediate intervention.”

According to her, the success of the meeting would ultimately be judged by the strength of the partnerships forged and the effectiveness of future joint operations against trafficking syndicates.

The CID Director-General appealed for greater unity among law enforcement agencies in confronting criminal organisations that profit from the exploitation of vulnerable people.

“Let us use this time to build an unbreakable front against those who seek to commodify our youth and exploit our financial systems,” she said.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.