Windhoek: Thirteen human trafficking cases investigated in the Erongo Region over the past decade, alongside the dismantling of an international online scam syndicate targeting unemployed Namibian youth, highlight the increasingly sophisticated methods used by trafficking networks.According to Namibia Press Agency, this was stated by Acting Inspector General of the Namibian Police Force (NamPol), Major General Anna-Marie Nainda, in a speech delivered on her behalf during the Erongo commemoration of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in Henties Bay. Held under the theme, 'Human Trafficking is Organised Crime - End the Exploitation', the event focused on the growing use of technology by organised criminal syndicates to exploit vulnerable people.Nainda noted that traffickers are increasingly using fake job offers, fraudulent scholarships, sham travel arrangements, online romance scams, and deceptive recruitment to lure victims. She pointed out that Namibia's vulnerability to cyber-enabled trafficki ng became evident in 2023 when authorities dismantled an international online 'pig butchering' scam syndicate. This group recruited unemployed Namibian youth with promises of legitimate employment before coercing them into online fraud.'The syndicate relied on deceptive recruitment, controlled accommodation and transport, restrictive working conditions, salary deductions, and intimidation to force victims into committing online fraud,' she said. Nainda added that the operation involved fake social media identities, foreign telephone numbers, cryptocurrency transactions, and money laundering schemes, complicating investigations. She mentioned that NamPol, working in collaboration with Interpol and law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Argentina, has rescued victims and strengthened investigations into trafficking linked to forced criminality.Supporting the national overview with regional statistics, Erongo Police Commander Commissioner Nikolaus Kupembona reported th at 13 trafficking cases recorded between 2010 and 2020 involved sexual exploitation and immigration-related offences. Eleven offenders were convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 35 years. Kupembona noted that no new trafficking cases have been reported in Erongo since January 2025, reflecting sustained prevention efforts, while cautioning that trafficking remains largely hidden and underreported.Erongo Governor Nathalia /Goagoses highlighted that trafficking has evolved into a transnational organised crime driven by poverty, unemployment, conflict, and online exploitation. She explained that Namibia has strengthened its response through the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2018, the National Action Plan on Combating Trafficking in Persons (2023-2027), specialised police units, and improved victim support mechanisms.