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The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has announced the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects in an eight-month global operation targeting West African organised crime networks, including Black Axe and similar groups.
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Operation Jackal IV, which ran from November 2025 to June 2026, involved law enforcement agencies from 22 countries across six continents and focused on dismantling cyber-enabled financial fraud and money-laundering networks.
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South Africa recorded 39 arrests after raids on seven locations in Johannesburg linked to romance and investment scams targeting retirees, while authorities seized about $2.67 million and blocked 257 bank accounts.
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The operation also uncovered a growing use of social media for sextortion targeting minors, with some victims as young as 14, while investigators in Argentina identified 196 people allegedly connected to a Crime-as-a-Service network supporting West African criminal groups.
August 26, (THEWILL) — The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has launched a major international crackdown on West African organised crime networks, resulting in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across 22 countries.
The eight-month operation, codenamed Operation Jackal IV, targeted criminal networks linked to Black Axe and similar West African groups accused of involvement in cyber-enabled financial fraud, money laundering and other serious organised crimes.
According to INTERPOL, the operation ran from November 2025 to June 2026, bringing together law enforcement agencies from six continents to identify high-value criminal targets, trace illicit financial flows, seize criminal assets and support arrests and prosecutions.
INTERPOL said the targeted networks have been linked to a significant share of cyber-enabled financial fraud, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, business email compromise and other schemes used to defraud victims across borders.
The organisation said the operation was also designed to disrupt the financial infrastructure supporting the criminal networks by following illicit proceeds across jurisdictions and blocking access to funds suspected to be connected to criminal activities.
South Africa Records 39 Arrests
South Africa recorded the highest number of arrests during the operation, with 39 people arrested following coordinated raids on seven locations in Johannesburg.
INTERPOL said the locations were linked to a syndicate allegedly running romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
Investigators seized approximately $2.67 million and blocked 257 bank accounts allegedly linked to the criminal network.
INTERPOL said the financial component of the operation was particularly important because criminal networks depend on international banking channels and other financial systems to move, conceal and ultimately profit from proceeds of crime.
Argentina, Romania, Italy Investigations Expose Wider Network
Operation Jackal IV also uncovered criminal activities in other participating countries.
In Argentina, investigators identified 196 individuals allegedly connected to a major Crime-as-a-Service network suspected of providing website domains and money-laundering support to West African organised crime groups.
An INTERPOL Operational Support Team was deployed to Argentina to assist investigators with the analysis of seized data, identification of criminal networks and suspects, and coordination with international partners to develop further investigative leads. The investigation resulted in 17 arrests.
In Romania, authorities dismantled a criminal group operating an investment scam through a call centre, resulting in 11 arrests. Investigators seized about €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties and several luxury watches.
INTERPOL said the Romanian scam was estimated to have stolen and laundered approximately €143 million globally.
In Italy, investigators identified an individual allegedly connected to a pan-European money-laundering network that used shell companies, remittance services and cash withdrawals to conceal the origins of criminal proceeds.
One account alone was found to have moved approximately €845,000 through 560 transactions involving 20 different financial instruments, according to INTERPOL.
Minors Targeted In Sextortion Scheme
The international operation also exposed what INTERPOL described as an emerging threat involving the use of social media by West African organised crime groups to carry out sextortion against minors. Some of the victims identified were reportedly as young as 14.
According to investigators, offenders use social media to establish contact and build trust with minors before coercing them into sharing explicit images or videos. The criminals then threaten to distribute the material to the victim’s contacts unless money or other demands are met.
INTERPOL said the discovery showed how criminal networks are expanding beyond conventional financial fraud and exploiting social media platforms to target vulnerable victims, including children.
INTERPOL Targets Financial Lifeline
Beyond the arrests, a major focus of Operation Jackal IV was the disruption of the financial channels that allow organised crime groups to operate internationally.
INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre facilitated intelligence sharing and cross-border coordination, while operational support teams provided analytical assistance and specialised training to participating law enforcement agencies.
The organisation’s Director of the Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, said following illicit financial flows across borders was critical to weakening organised crime because it attacks the financial foundation that enables criminal networks to operate.
Several investigations arising from the operation remain ongoing, INTERPOL said, reflecting the complexity of tracing financial transactions across multiple countries and identifying the individuals behind sophisticated criminal structures.
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