An alleged criminal human trafficking network linked to QNET is under investigation after more than 20 Sierra Leoneans were reportedly recruited into a scheme promising visas and migration opportunities to the United States, Canada and Australia, according to The Standard newspaper and the Sierra Leone High Commission in The Gambia.
Victims were allegedly targeted in Sierra Leone with assurances of facilitated overseas travel, before being asked to pay between US$1,000 and US$1,500 in processing fees. They were then transported to The Gambia, where some allegedly had their passports and mobile phones confiscated and were housed in compounds in Busumbala and Farato, outside Banjul.
The Sierra Leone High Commission in The Gambia said it uncovered the alleged operation following a tip-off and carried out a visit to a compound in Busumbala, where officials found dozens of young men and women who said they had been deceived into travelling under false pretences. Several victims allegedly said they had sold family land and other assets to raise the money.
Mahawa Allieu, communications attaché at the High Commission, told The Standard that 21 Sierra Leoneans were allegedly operating within the network as recruiters, tasked with convincing others in Sierra Leone to travel by promoting claims of overseas migration opportunities linked to QNET.
She said recruiters allegedly used social media platforms and fabricated digital content, including edited or generated images, to create false impressions of successful migration cases in order to persuade new victims to pay upfront fees.
According to her account, victims were then taken to The Gambia, where their phones and documents were seized and they were told their visa applications were being processed locally. Some allegedly remained in the compounds for extended periods without clarity on their travel status.
The High Commission said a coordinated operation led to the rescue of 24 women and two men from one of the compounds in Busumbala. Gambian authorities are also reported to have arrested suspected members of the network, although details of those detained or any charges have not been released.
Officials in Sierra Leone and The Gambia have not confirmed whether additional victims may still be held elsewhere, and investigations into the full scope of the alleged network are ongoing.
Authorities across West Africa have repeatedly warned against paying large sums for unverified migration opportunities, as fraudulent recruitment schemes continue to target young people seeking work and travel abroad.
No formal charges have been announced.
