INTERPOL OPERATION: 58 ARRESTED, 263 SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED IN BLACK AXE CRACKDOWN
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
An eight-month INTERPOL-led operation targeting West African organised crime networks, including the notorious Black Axe group, has resulted in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across 22 countries.
Codenamed Operation Jackal IV, the international crackdown was conducted between November 2025 and June 2026, with a focus on disrupting money laundering networks, tracking high-value suspects, recovering illicit assets and supporting arrests and prosecutions.
INTERPOL disclosed this in a statement published on its website on Tuesday.
The international police organisation said the operation brought together law enforcement agencies from 22 countries across six continents to tackle the growing threat posed by West African criminal networks.
According to INTERPOL, such groups are linked to a significant portion of global cyber-enabled financial crimes, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, and business email compromise, as well as other serious offences.
The Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, said the operation demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in tackling organised crime.
He noted that tracing illicit financial transactions across borders was crucial to disrupting criminal networks and preventing them from profiting from their activities.
In Argentina, authorities identified 196 people allegedly involved in a Crime-as-a-Service network that provided website domains and money laundering services to West African criminal groups, resulting in 17 arrests.
South African authorities also raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate allegedly involved in romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. The operation led to 39 arrests, the seizure of $2.67m and the freezing of 257 bank accounts.
In Italy, investigators identified a suspect linked to a pan-European money laundering network that allegedly used shell companies, remittance services and cash withdrawals to conceal illicit funds. INTERPOL said one account alone processed €845,000 through 560 transactions involving 20 financial instruments.
In Romania, authorities dismantled an investment scam network operated through a call centre, arresting 11 people and recovering about €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties and several luxury watches. The scheme was estimated to have stolen and laundered €143m globally.
INTERPOL also reported a rise in sextortion cases involving West African organised crime groups targeting minors, including victims as young as 14. The offenders allegedly used social media to build relationships with victims before coercing them into sharing explicit content and demanding ransom payments.
Nigeria was among the 22 countries that participated in Operation Jackal IV.
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