Interpol-led Operation Jackal IV arrests 58 in West African crime crackdown

An eight-month international law enforcement operation targeting West African organized crime networks has resulted in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across 22 countries. The operation, known as Operation Jackal IV, was coordinated by Interpol and ran from November 2025 to June 2026. It focused on disrupting money laundering, identifying high-value targets, seizing assets, and supporting prosecutions linked to groups such as Black Axe, a cybercrime syndicate linked to a significant share of the world's cyber-enabled financial fraud.

The operation's results were announced on August 25, 2026. Law enforcement actions took place in several countries, with the most significant arrests occurring in South Africa, Argentina, Romania, and Italy. In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that conducted romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. The raids led to 39 arrests, the seizure of approximately 2.67 million, and the freezing of 257 bank accounts.

In Argentina, investigators identified 196 individuals connected to a "crime-as-a-service" network that provided website domains and...