The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) on Tuesday announced the arrest of 58, identification of 263 suspects in crackdown on organised crime groups, including Black Axe cult in West Africa.
Interpol said its operation spanning eight-month targeting West African organised crime groups led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects.
Codenamed, “Operation Jackal IV,” from November 2025 – June 2026, the INTERPOL said the operation was “aimed to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets, and support arrests and prosecution.”
“The operation, which brought together 22 countries from six continents, is a response to the escalating global threat posed by West African criminal networks – such as the Black Axe and other similar groups,” the INTERPOL said.
According to INTERPOL, the groups are responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams or business email compromise fraud, as well as other serious and violent crimes.
The Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, said, “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.”
Highlighting some achievement of its eight month operation, the INTERPOL said “Operation Jackal IV led to 58 arrests, including 39 in South Africa. In Argentina: 196 individuals were identified for their role in a major Crime-as-a-Service network, suspected of providing website domains and money laundering support to West African organized crime groups.The investigation led to 17 arrests.”
In South Africa, it raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
“The criminal network operated an elaborate structure, with members designated as “conversion” or “retention” agents and tasked with different stages of the scam. An INTERPOL OST was also deployed locally to support South African law enforcement authorities who seized USD 2.67 million, blocked 257 bank accounts and arrested 39 individuals,” INTERPOL noted.
