An eight-month international law enforcement operation coordinated by INTERPOL has led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects linked to West African organized crime groups involved in cyber-enabled financial fraud, money laundering and other serious criminal activities.
Dubbed Operation Jackal IV, the coordinated operation ran from November 2025 to June 2026 and brought together law enforcement agencies from 22 countries across six continents to disrupt criminal networks, trace illicit financial flows, seize criminal assets and strengthen investigations leading to arrests and prosecutions.
According to INTERPOL, the operation targeted notorious West African criminal organizations, including the Black Axe network and similar groups believed to be behind a significant proportion of global cyber-enabled financial crimes. These crimes include romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, business email compromise schemes, money laundering and other violent offences.
Throughout the operation, INTERPOL facilitated cross-border intelligence sharing, coordinated operational activities, conducted financial crime analysis and provided specialist training to improve international money laundering investigations.
Commenting on the outcome of the operation, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, said international collaboration remains the most effective weapon against transnational organized crime.
«“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.”»
Major Arrests and Asset Seizures Across Four Countries
Although INTERPOL said many investigations remain ongoing because of the complexity of financial crimes, authorities recorded significant breakthroughs in several participating countries.
In Argentina, investigators identified 196 individuals allegedly connected to a major Crime-as-a-Service network suspected of supplying website domains and money laundering services to West African organized crime groups. The investigation resulted in 17 arrests, while an INTERPOL Operational Support Team provided analytical support by examining seized data, identifying suspects and strengthening international investigative cooperation.
In South Africa, authorities carried out coordinated raids at seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a criminal syndicate accused of operating romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
Investigators said members of the syndicate performed specialised roles as either “conversion” or “retention” agents responsible for different stages of the fraudulent operation.
The raids resulted in the seizure of US$2.67 million, the blocking of 257 bank accounts, and the arrest of 39 suspects, with INTERPOL’s Operational Support Team providing on-ground analytical assistance.
In Italy, investigators identified a suspect connected to a Europe-wide money laundering network that allegedly used shell companies, remittance services and cash withdrawals to conceal the origins of illicit funds.
Authorities disclosed that a single financial account processed approximately €845,000 through 560 transactions using 20 different financial instruments.
Meanwhile, in Romania, police dismantled a sophisticated investment fraud syndicate operating through a call centre that lured victims with promises of high returns from stock market and cryptocurrency investments.
Investigators estimate that the scheme generated and laundered approximately €143 million worldwide.
Police arrested 11 suspects and confiscated roughly €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six real estate properties and several luxury watches believed to be proceeds of crime.
INTERPOL Warns of Rising Sextortion and Crime-as-a-Service
Beyond the arrests and seizures, INTERPOL said Operation Jackal IV uncovered worrying new trends in the activities of West African organized crime groups.
The agency reported an increase in online sextortion targeting minors, with some victims as young as 14 years old.
According to investigators, offenders typically approach children through social media platforms, build trust over time and persuade them to share explicit images or videos before threatening to distribute the material to family members or friends unless ransom payments are made.
INTERPOL also observed that some organized crime syndicates increasingly rely on Crime-as-a-Service providers operating through the dark web to outsource money laundering and other key criminal services, making their operations more sophisticated and harder to detect.
The international police organization said cooperation among member countries will continue as investigations progress, with authorities determined to dismantle the financial structures that sustain transnational organized crime.
