Law enforcement agencies across 22 countries have arrested 58 individuals and identified 263 suspects during Operation Jackal IV, an eight-month international offensive targeting West African organized crime networks.
Conducted between November 2025 and June 2026, the coordinated operation focused on disrupting global money laundering operations, seizing illicit assets, and dismantling groups such as Black Axe, which INTERPOL links to a substantial portion of worldwide cyber-enabled fraud. Authorities targeted financial flows and leadership structures spanning multiple continents to degrade the operational capabilities of these syndicates.
“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,” stated Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre.
Operations in South Africa centered on Johannesburg, where authorities raided seven locations tied to a syndicate executing romance and investment fraud against retirees in English-speaking countries. Police seized $2.67 million, froze 257 bank accounts, and arrested 39 suspects. Meanwhile, investigators in Argentina identified 196 individuals tied to a network supplying website domains and money laundering infrastructure, resulting in 17 local arrests.
European law enforcement also delivered major blows, with Italian authorities exposing a laundering ring that funneled €845,000 through 560 transactions using shell companies and 20 different financial instruments. In Romania, police dismantled a fraudulent call center operation promising high returns on stocks and cryptocurrency, seizing approximately €330,000 in cash and crypto alongside six properties and multiple luxury watches. INTERPOL estimates that the global call center scheme alone stole and laundered €143 million.
Beyond traditional financial fraud, the multi-country sweep uncovered a troubling escalation in cybercrime tactics. Investigators found that West African crime syndicates are increasingly utilizing sextortion schemes against minors as young as 14, coercing victims via social media into sharing explicit media under threat of public disclosure. Furthermore, enforcement agencies noted an increased reliance on dark web providers for Crime-as-a-Service capabilities to automate money laundering and support broader operations.