Interpol’s eight-month operation targeted West African crime networks linked to cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering and other serious offences, with Nigeria among 22 participating countries.
An eight-month international operation targeting West African organised crime groups, including the Nigerian-origin Black Axe network, has led to the identification of 263 suspects and 58 arrests across 22 countries.
The operation, codenamed Operation Jackal IV, was coordinated by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) between November 2025 and June 2026, with law enforcement agencies from six continents taking part.
Nigeria was among the participating countries, alongside the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and others.
INTERPOL said the operation was designed to disrupt money-laundering networks, identify high-value targets, seize criminal assets and support arrests and prosecutions.
The crackdown targeted West African organised crime networks involved in cyber-enabled financial fraud, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams and business email compromise.
Interpol crackdown exposes expanding cybercrime networks
The operation also exposed the increasingly international structure of organised cybercrime, with criminal groups operating across borders and relying on other networks to provide specialised services.
In one case in Romania, authorities dismantled a sophisticated investment scam operated through a call centre, where victims were promised high returns from stocks and cryptocurrencies.
INTERPOL said the operation linked the network to an estimated €143 million stolen and laundered globally. Romanian authorities arrested 11 people and seized cash and cryptocurrency, six properties and several luxury watches.
In another investigation, authorities uncovered a network providing so-called Crime-as-a-Service, supplying criminal groups with services such as website domains and money-laundering support.
INTERPOL said some West African crime syndicates were increasingly turning to external providers, including operators on the dark web, to outsource parts of their criminal operations.
The development means organised crime groups no longer necessarily need to build every part of their operation themselves, with specialised services available from other criminal networks.
South Africa recorded the largest number of arrests during the operation, with 39 people arrested following raids on seven locations in Johannesburg linked to romance and investment scams.
Interpol flags rise in sextortion targeting minors
Beyond financial crimes, INTERPOL said Operation Jackal IV identified a worrying increase in the use of sextortion by West African organised crime groups against minors.
The agency said some victims were as young as 14.
According to INTERPOL, offenders typically approach minors through social media, build trust and persuade them to share sexually explicit images or videos.
They then threaten to distribute the material to the victims’ contacts unless a ransom is paid.
INTERPOL said the findings demonstrate how criminal networks are expanding beyond traditional financial fraud while using digital platforms to reach increasingly vulnerable victims.
Tomonobu Kaya, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said the operation showed the importance of following criminal proceeds across borders.
“By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime,” Kaya said.
The 58 arrests recorded during Operation Jackal IV are preliminary, as INTERPOL said many of the cases remain under investigation.
The organisation’s latest operation involved Austria, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK and the US.
The findings add to growing international concern over West African organised crime networks whose activities increasingly span cyber fraud, money laundering, violent crime and other offences across multiple jurisdictions.
For Nigeria, which participated in the operation and is home to Black Axe, the international crackdown also highlights the growing challenge of criminal networks whose operations and proceeds move far beyond national borders.
