Police across 22 countries arrested 58 people and identified 263 suspects during an eight-month INTERPOL operation targeting West African organized crime groups.
Suspects detained in an operation targeting West African crime groups (Source: INTERPOL)
Operation Jackal IV ran from November 2025 to June 2026. The goal was to disrupt money laundering, flag high-value targets, seize assets, and back up arrests and prosecutions tied to groups such as Black Axe, which Interpol links to a large share of the world’s cyber-enabled fraud.
“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation. By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organized crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities,” said Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre.
South Africa raids target retiree scams
Authorities searched seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate running romance and investment scams aimed at retirees in English-speaking countries.
The group split members into roles, some worked to “convert” victims, others to “retain” them once they had paid. Police seized $2.67 million, froze 257 bank accounts, and arrested 39 people, more than two thirds of the operation’s total arrests.
Argentina uncovers a Crime-as-a-Service ring
In Argentina, investigators identified 196 individuals linked to a network suspected of selling website domains and money laundering services to West African crime groups. The case led to 17 arrests.
Money laundering in Italy, a call center scam in Romania
Italian authorities identified one person for a role in a laundering network that used shell companies and remittance services to hide where money came from. One account alone moved €845,000 through 560 transactions and 20 different financial instruments.
Romanian police, meanwhile, shut down a group running an investment scam through a call center, promising big returns on stocks and cryptocurrency. Victims’ money went to electronic wallets the group controlled.
Interpol estimates €143 million was stolen and laundered through the scheme worldwide. Eleven people were arrested, and police seized about €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties, and several luxury watches.
Troubling new trend emerges
Interpol says the operation also surfaced a troubling trend. West African crime groups are increasingly using sextortion against minors, some 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,” Interpol stated.
“Some of these criminal syndicates were also observed procuring Crime-as-a-Service from external providers, often through the dark web, to outsource key activities like money laundering and other critical operations,” the agency added.
