INTERPOL arrests 58 in global crackdown on Black Axe crime network
An eight-month INTERPOL-coordinated operation, codenamed Operation Jackal IV, led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across 22 countries, targeting West African organized crime groups like Black Axe. The operation, which ran from November 2025 to June 2026, focused on disrupting money laundering, identifying high-value targets, seizing criminal assets, and supporting arrests and prosecutions. These groups are responsible for a significant share of global cyber-enabled financial fraud, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams, and business email compromise fraud, as well as other serious and violent crimes. Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, highlighted the power of international cooperation in attacking the financial lifeline of organized crime. The operation resulted in the seizure of $2.67 million, the blocking of 257 bank accounts, and the arrest of 39 people in South Africa. In Argentina, 17 arrests were made, identifying 196 individuals in a Crime-as-a-Service network. In Italy, one individual was identified in connection with a pan-European money laundering network that laundered €845,000. In Romania, authorities dismantled an investment scam group, arresting 11 people and seizing approximately €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties, and luxury watches, with the scam estimated to have stolen and laundered €143 million globally. The operation also identified a rise in sext
