An eight-month-long global operation targeting West African organized crime groups has led to the arrest of 58 criminals and the identification of 263 suspects.
Operation Jackal IV was launched in November 2025 to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets, and support arrests and prosecution, INTERPOL said in a press release.
The operation brought together 22 countries from six continents in response to the escalating global threat posed by West African criminal networks - such as the Black Axe and other similar groups. These groups are responsible for a significant share of the world's cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams or business email compromise fraud, as well as other serious and violent crimes.
During the operation, INTERPOL facilitated cross-border coordination and intelligence sharing, conducted analysis, supported operational activities and provided specialized training to enhance international money laundering investigations.
Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said, "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."
In Argentina 196 suspects were identified for their role in a major Crime-as-a-Service network, suspected of providing website domains and money laundering support to West African organized crime groups. The investigation, with INTERPOL's Operational Support, led to 17 arrests.
South African authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a criminal network that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. They seized $2.67 million, blocked 257 bank accounts and arrested 39 individuals.
In Italy, one individual was identified in relation to a pan-European money laundering network that used shell companies, remittance services and cash withdrawals to obscure fund origins. A single account laundered €845,000 ($736,000) across 560 transactions using 20 different financial instruments.
Romanian authorities dismantled a criminal group running a sophisticated investment scam via a call centre that touted high returns in stocks or cryptocurrencies. Victims' money was diverted to electronic wallets controlled by the perpetrators, resulting in an estimated €143 million stolen and laundered globally. Police arrested 11 individuals and seized approximately €330,000 ($379,000) in cash and cryptocurrency.
Beyond individual cases, Operation Jackal IV also enabled the analysis of critical and emerging trends, including a rise in West African organized crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14. Offenders typically contact minors via social media, build trust and coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. They then threaten to distribute this material to the victim's contacts unless a ransom is paid.
Some of these criminal syndicates were also observed procuring Crime-as-a-Service from external providers, often through the dark web, to outsource key activities like money laundering and other critical operations.
Austria, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States participated in the global operation, co-ordinated by INTERPOL.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
August 21, 2026 14:42 ET The minutes of the latest policy meeting of the Federal Reserve, housing market data and manufacturing sector survey results were the main news for the U.S. economy this week. In Europe, inflation data from the U.K. was the highlight, while consumer price data from Japan drew attention in Asia.