INTERPOL says an eight-month international police operation targeting West African and other organised crime networks has resulted in the identification of 263 suspects and the arrest of 58 people across 22 countries.
Nigeria was among the 22 countries that participated in Operation Jackal IV, which was conducted between November 2025 and June 2026. Other participating countries included Austria, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Africans& Diaspora
INTERPOL said the operation focused on dismantling criminal networks, tracing illicit financial flows, identifying key suspects, recovering criminal proceeds and supporting prosecutions.
The international police organisation said the operation was launched in response to the growing reach of West African organised crime networks, including Black Axe and other groups linked to cyber-enabled fraud and violent crimes.
According to INTERPOL, the networks have been associated with financial crimes such as romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, as well as business email compromise schemes. Tomonobu Kaya, director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said the operation demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in tackling organised crime.
“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation. By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities,” Kaya said.
In Argentina, investigators identified 196 people allegedly linked to a major crime-as-a-service network accused of providing website domains and money-laundering services to West African criminal groups. The investigation resulted in 17 arrests.
South African authorities also raided seven locations in Johannesburg as part of an investigation into a syndicate allegedly involved in romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. INTERPOL said the South African operation resulted in 39 arrests, the seizure of $2.67 million and the freezing of 257 bank accounts.
In Italy, investigators identified a suspect allegedly linked to a money-laundering network operating across Europe. The network reportedly used shell companies, remittance businesses and cash withdrawals to disguise the origins of illicit funds.
INTERPOL said one bank account linked to the network processed €845,000 through 560 transactions involving 20 different financial instruments. In Romania, authorities dismantled a criminal organisation accused of operating an investment scam through a call centre and arrested 11 people.
The operation led to the recovery of about €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, as well as six properties and several luxury watches. INTERPOL said investigators estimated that the scheme generated and laundered about €143 million globally.
Beyond financial crimes, the operation also uncovered an increase in sextortion cases involving West African organised crime groups and minors. INTERPOL said some victims were as young as 14, with offenders allegedly using social media to establish relationships with minors before coercing them into sending explicit images or videos.
The suspects would then allegedly threaten to distribute the material to the victims’ friends and family unless ransom payments were made. INTERPOL also said organised crime groups were increasingly using crime-as-a-service providers, including operators on the dark web, to outsource specialised criminal activities such as money laundering.