In a sweeping international operation targeting West African organized crime groups, authorities arrested 300 individuals, seized $3 million, and blocked 720 bank accounts, Interpol announced on Tuesday.
Operation Jackal III, conducted from April 10 to July 3 across 21 countries, aimed to combat online financial fraud and dismantle the West African syndicates behind it, according to the agency’s statement.
“The volume of financial fraud stemming from West Africa is alarming and increasing,” said Isaac Oginni, director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre. “This operation’s results underscore the critical need for international law enforcement collaboration to combat these extensive criminal networks.”
Among the targeted groups was Black Axe, a notorious criminal network in West Africa known for cyber fraud, human trafficking, and drug smuggling, as well as violent crimes both within Africa and globally. Black Axe utilized money mules to open bank accounts worldwide and is currently under investigation in over 40 countries for related money laundering activities, Interpol reported. The suspects include nationals from Argentina, Colombia, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
In Argentina, following a five-year investigation, police cracked down on Black Axe, seizing $1.2 million in high-quality counterfeit banknotes, arresting 72 suspects, and freezing approximately 100 bank accounts.
Interpol, with its 196 member countries, celebrated its centennial last year. The organization facilitates communication among national police forces and tracks suspects in fields such as counterterrorism, financial crime, child pornography, cybercrime, and organized crime.
Despite being the world’s largest police organization, Interpol faces new challenges, including a growing caseload of cybercrime and child sex abuse, as well as increasing divisions among its member countries. Last year, Interpol’s budget was approximately 176 million euros (about $188 million), compared to more than 200 million euros at the European Union’s police agency, Europol, and about $11 billion at the FBI in the United States.
