Fifty-eight arrests, 263 identified suspects and investigations spanning six continents: Interpol’s Operation Jackal IV has targeted West African organised crime networks involved in financial fraud, money laundering and Crime-as-a-Service. The cases illustrate how closely conventional organised crime is now intertwined with digital fraud schemes, social engineering and cross-border payment infrastructures.

Law enforcement authorities from 22 countries have arrested 58 people and identified a further 263 suspects during Interpol-coordinated Operation Jackal IV. The eight-month operation ran from November 2025 to June 2026 and focused on West African organised crime groups, including networks associated with Black Axe and similar organisations.

Countries from Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australia took part. European participants included Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

The investigations focused largely on financial and cyber-enabled crime. Interpol identified romance scams, fraudulent cryptocurrency and investment schemes and Business Email Compromise as recurring methods used by the networks, alongside money laundering and other serious offences.

The operation was intended to trace illicit financial flows, identify high-value targets, seize assets and support national authorities with arrests and prosecutions. Interpol also provided analytical support, intelligence sharing and operational assistance across jurisdictions.

Money laundering links cybercrime and organised crime

A central part of the investigation concerned the movement and concealment of proceeds generated by fraud. Bank accounts, cryptocurrency wallets, shell companies and payment intermediaries have become important components of internationally organised criminal operations.

Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the Interpol Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, described following illicit financial flows as a key means of disrupting criminal groups. By tracking funds across borders, investigators can target the economic foundations on which these organisations depend.

The cases uncovered during Jackal IV also show that cyber-enabled fraud rarely operates in isolation. Individual scams are often supported by wider networks providing bank accounts, payment channels, internet domains, money laundering services and technical infrastructure.

Crime-as-a-Service network uncovered in Argentina

One of the largest investigations took place in Argentina, where authorities identified 196 people suspected of involvement in a major Crime-as-a-Service network. Seventeen people were arrested.

According to Interpol, the network provided services including website domains and money laundering support to West African organised crime groups. An Interpol Operational Support Team was deployed to assist local authorities with the analysis of seized data, the identification of suspects and links between criminal networks, and the development of further international investigative leads.

The case highlights the increasing availability of criminal services to other offenders. Groups no longer need to maintain every technical or financial capability themselves. Domains, laundering infrastructure and other operational services can be obtained from specialist providers, including through dark-web marketplaces.

This division of labour allows criminal organisations to scale operations more quickly and to maintain activity across several countries without building all of the necessary infrastructure in-house.

39 arrests in South Africa

In Johannesburg, South African authorities raided seven locations linked to a syndicate running romance and investment scams, primarily targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.

According to Interpol, the organisation had a clearly defined internal structure. Members were assigned roles as “conversion” or “retention” agents, responsible for different stages of the fraud. Some were tasked with persuading victims to make an initial payment, while others maintained contact and attempted to secure further transfers.

Authorities arrested 39 people, blocked 257 bank accounts and seized USD 2.67 million.

The terminology and organisation are strikingly similar to legitimate sales and customer-management operations. In romance and investment scams, maintaining contact over a prolonged period can be as important as the initial approach. Trust is deliberately cultivated and then exploited to obtain repeated payments.

Investigations in Italy and Romania

European authorities also uncovered significant money laundering structures during the operation.

In Italy, one person was identified in connection with a pan-European laundering network suspected of using shell companies, remittance services and cash withdrawals to disguise the origins of criminal proceeds. One account alone handled EUR 845,000 across 560 transactions using 20 different financial instruments.

In Romania, investigators dismantled a group operating an investment scam through a call centre. Victims were offered supposedly lucrative investments in shares or cryptocurrencies before their funds were diverted into electronic wallets controlled by the perpetrators.

The estimated amount stolen and laundered globally through the scheme reached EUR 143 million. Eleven people were arrested. Authorities also seized approximately EUR 330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties and several luxury watches.

Sextortion involving minors raises concern

Operation Jackal IV also identified an increase in sextortion cases involving West African organised crime groups. Some victims were as young as 14.

Offenders typically contact minors through social media, establish trust and persuade them to share intimate photographs or videos. They then threaten to distribute the material to friends, relatives or other contacts unless a ransom is paid.

The development adds another layer to the challenge facing investigators. Perpetrators can operate across borders, move between communication platforms and combine traditional extortion methods with digital identities, social media and international payment channels.

International cooperation remains critical

The countries participating in Operation Jackal IV were Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

A number of the investigations remain ongoing. Nevertheless, the results already provide a clear picture of the way modern fraud networks operate. Technical infrastructure, social engineering, money laundering and payment processing are increasingly distributed across different countries and specialist actors.

For law enforcement, this means that arrests alone will rarely dismantle an entire network. Investigators also need to identify the links between individuals, accounts, companies and digital services, and exchange that information quickly enough for action to be taken across multiple jurisdictions.