An eight-month international operation targeting West African organised crime groups has led to the arrest of 58 suspects and the identification of 263 others, INTERPOL has said.*
The operation, codenamed Operation Jackal IV, ran from November 2025 to June 2026 and involved law enforcement agencies from 22 countries across six continents.
In a statement on Tuesday, INTERPOL said the operation aimed to disrupt money laundering networks, identify high-value criminal targets, seize illicit assets, and support the arrest and prosecution of suspects linked to organised crime.
The agency noted that the operation was launched in response to the growing global threat posed by West African criminal networks, including Black Axe and other similar groups.
According to INTERPOL, these groups are responsible for a significant share of cyber-enabled financial fraud worldwide, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, and business email compromise. The networks are also linked to other serious and violent crimes.
During the operation, INTERPOL coordinated cross-border intelligence sharing, conducted financial analysis, supported field activities, and provided specialised training to strengthen money laundering investigations.
Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, said the exercise showed the importance of international cooperation in tackling organised crime.
“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.
INTERPOL added that several cases arising from Operation Jackal IV remain under investigation due to the complexity of financial crimes.
