Following an investigation launched on 16 May 2026 by the Central Judicial Research Service of the National Gendarmerie, after numerous reports of online scams and kidnappings of relatives abroad, a large-scale human trafficking network has been dismantled in Cameroon.
The criminal ring operated under the guise of network marketing activities using the names QNET, IGNITE and UNIMEC. Authorities arrested 13 individuals, including six key coordinators based in Cameroon and seven active representatives or intermediaries. More than 600 victims were identified, and several houses used as logistics bases and accommodation were seized in the cities of Douala, Bafoussam, Ebolowa, Kye-Ossi, Bertoua, Ngaoundéré, Maroua, Garoua and Yaoundé.
Colonel Atangana Fiacre Kisito, Deputy Central Coordinator and Director of Employment and Structures (DES), stated that the masterminds are based in Malaysia with active branches in West and Central Africa. Their primary targets are vulnerable youth, job seekers, students, and those seeking to emigrate. The modus operandi involves luring victims with job offers or training abroad, promises of high returns, risk-free guarantees, and aggressive or pressured recruitment.
Once recruited, victims are forced to pay high fees and are housed in converted compounds used as collective dormitories where they face coercive supervision and constant pressure. Some victims from the southern part of the country are transferred via Garoua to Nigeria, while foreigners, notably Chadians, are integrated into local networks in the Yaoundé neighbourhoods of Awae, Tam-Tam, Mvan and Nkozoa.
Given the scale of the phenomenon, the Deputy Central Coordinator called on the public to remain vigilant and not to be swayed by illusion sellers, tempting online company offers, or attractive proposals from relatives.
The investigation remains active, with a search underway for two individuals formally identified and located in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. The suspects will be presented before the State Prosecutor at the High Court of Yaoundé in the coming days.
