An eight-month international operation coordinated by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has led to the arrest of 58 suspects and the identification of 263 others linked to West African organised crime networks.
INTERPOL disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that the operation involved 22 countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, France, the US and the UK. The operation ran from November 2025 to June 2026.
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The operation was tagged Operation Jackal IV.
It focused on West African money-laundering networks, such as the Black Axe, an international confraternity with Nigerian roots, and high-value criminal targets considered a global threat.
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“The operation, which brought together 22 countries from six continents, is a response to the escalating global threat posed by West African criminal networks – such as the Black Axe and other similar groups.
“These groups are responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams or business email compromise fraud, as well as other serious and violent crimes,” the statement read.
Interpol said the operation led to the arrest of 39 suspects in South Africa.
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It said police raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate accused of running romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
INTERPOL said the police seized $2.67 million and blocked 257 bank accounts linked to the network.
In Argentina, 196 people were identified as allegedly being connected to a major crime-as-a-service network that provided website domains and money laundering support to West African organised crime groups.
INTERPOL noted that 17 of them were arrested.
A criminal group which ran an “investment scam” using “call centres that touted high returns in stocks or cryptocurrencies” was also identified in Romania.
“Police arrested 11 individuals and seized approximately EUR 330,000 (USD 379,000) in cash and cryptocurrency, six real estate properties and several luxury watches,” the statement read.
Tomonobu Kaya, director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said following illicit financial flows across borders was key to weakening organised criminal networks.
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“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation,” Mr Kaya said.
“By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities.”
INTERPOL said the operation also identified a rise in West African organised crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14.
“Beyond individual cases, Operation Jackal IV also enabled the analysis of critical and emerging trends, including a rise in West African organised crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14.
“Offenders typically contact minors via social media, build trust and coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. They then threaten to distribute this material to the victim’s contacts unless a ransom is paid,” he said.
INTERPOL further noted that it facilitated intelligence sharing and cross-border coordination while providing analytical support and specialised training to participating law enforcement agencies.
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