An international police operation targeting West African organized crime networks has led to 58 arrests and identified 263 suspects across six continents, as authorities intensify efforts to disrupt criminal groups accused of running romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, money laundering and other crimes.
The eight month investigation, known as Operation Jackal IV, ran from November 2025 through June 2026 and involved law enforcement agencies in 22 countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, Britain, France and Côte d’Ivoire. INTERPOL said the operation focused on tracing illicit money, identifying high value suspects, seizing criminal assets and supporting prosecutions.
Among the groups targeted were Black Axe and similar West African networks that have expanded far beyond the region. Investigators say such organizations increasingly operate across national borders, using online scams and sophisticated money laundering systems to move criminal proceeds between countries.
“By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organized crime,” said Tomonobu Kaya, director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti Corruption Centre. He said cooperation between countries was making it harder for criminal networks to profit from their activities.
Some of the largest raids took place in South Africa, where authorities searched seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate accused of operating romance and investment scams aimed largely at retirees in English speaking countries. INTERPOL said 39 people were arrested, 257 bank accounts were blocked and authorities seized about 2.67 million dollars.
Investigators said the South African network operated with a structured system resembling a business. Different members were allegedly assigned roles in attracting potential victims, persuading them to invest money and maintaining contact after initial payments had been made. The cases remain under investigation and those arrested have not been convicted.
In Argentina, authorities identified 196 people suspected of involvement in a crime as a service network that allegedly provided website domains and money laundering assistance to West African criminal organizations. Seventeen people were arrested, while an INTERPOL support team helped investigators analyze seized data and pursue international leads.
Romanian authorities also dismantled an alleged investment fraud operation that used a call center to promise investors large returns from stocks and cryptocurrencies. INTERPOL said victims’ money was diverted into electronic wallets controlled by the group, with an estimated 143 million euros stolen and laundered globally. Authorities seized cash, cryptocurrency, six properties and luxury watches.
The investigation also uncovered an increasingly troubling trend involving the online exploitation of minors. INTERPOL said some organized crime groups were using sextortion, approaching young people through social media, gaining their trust and later demanding money under threats of releasing private material. Some reported victims were as young as 14.
Operation Jackal is part of a wider international effort that began in 2022, when INTERPOL coordinated the first global operation specifically targeting Black Axe and related West African crime groups. That initial campaign involved 14 countries, resulted in 75 arrests and intercepted 1.2 million euros held in bank accounts. By 2024, Operation Jackal III had expanded to 21 countries and resulted in about 300 arrests and more than 720 bank accounts being blocked.
The latest operation shows how criminal networks once viewed primarily as a West African problem have developed into a global law enforcement challenge. Investigators say online technology, cryptocurrency, shell companies and international banking systems allow fraudsters to reach victims thousands of kilometers away while moving the proceeds through several jurisdictions.
With many Operation Jackal IV cases still under investigation, INTERPOL said authorities will continue tracing financial transactions and sharing intelligence among participating countries. For investigators, the strategy is increasingly focused not only on arresting individual suspects but also on cutting off the money and digital infrastructure that allow organized crime networks to survive.
