According to an official INTERPOL release published on August 25, Operation Jackal IV ran for eight months from November 2025 through June 2026 and focused on the financial systems used by West African organized crime groups. The operation involved 22 countries across six continents, with authorities from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Argentina, Nigeria, Romania, and several European countries participating. During the operation, 58 people were arrested and 263 suspects were identified, with $2.67 million seized and 257 bank accounts blocked in South Africa alone. As reported by ME News, the operation was launched on August 29 (UTC+8) and specifically targeted online financial crimes including romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, investment fraud, email scams, and money laundering. Most of the arrests came in South Africa, where police raided seven sites in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that targeted retirees in English-speaking countries with romance and investment scams.
South African authorities conducted the largest enforcement action reported in the operation, arresting 39 people during raids at seven locations in Johannesburg. As reported by INTERPOL, police linked the sites to a group accused of running romance and investment scams against retirees in English-speaking countries. The network operated with different roles, with some working as "conversion" agents and others serving as "retention" agents - turning initial contacts into paying victims and persuading existing victims to continue sending money. Police seized $2.67 million, blocked 257 bank accounts, and collected evidence during the Johannesburg raids. According to ME News, an upgrade in investigative tools enabled authorities to track digital assets and domains used in the schemes. The operation specifically targeted Black Axe money laundering, a Nigerian-led syndicate that law enforcement has pursued for years.
Romanian police dismantled a call center accused of offering investors large returns from stocks and cryptocurrencies, with investigators estimating the group stole and laundered about €143 million worldwide. According to INTERPOL, the suspects redirected victims' deposits to electronic wallets under their control rather than placing the money in genuine investments. Police arrested 11 people and seized approximately €330,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties and several luxury watches. The operation also found that some West African crime groups were buying Crime-as-a-Service tools from outside providers, often through dark web markets. The networks generate a large share of the world's cyber-enabled financial fraud through romance, cryptocurrency, and business email compromise scams.
Argentine police uncovered a Crime-as-a-Service network offering website domain services and money laundering support to West African crime groups, with investigators identifying 196 people connected to the operation and arresting 17 suspects. The network provided infrastructure and services that enabled West African crime groups to operate their fraud schemes more effectively. In Italy, police identified one launderer whose network used shell companies and remittance services, with a single account moving roughly $736,000 through 560 transactions. The operation also flagged a rise in sextortion aimed at minors as young as 14, in which offenders coax teenagers into sharing explicit images and then demand payment. This discovery highlights how organized crime networks are increasingly using technology and specialized services to facilitate their operations across international borders.
During the operation, INTERPOL helped participating agencies exchange intelligence across borders, analyze financial activity, and coordinate enforcement work. The organization also provided specialist training to investigators handling money laundering cases. The operation's success demonstrates the effectiveness of international cooperation in combating transnational organized crime, particularly in the digital financial crime space. The results show that coordinated efforts across multiple jurisdictions can significantly impact global criminal networks operating across different regions and continents. "By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organized crime," said Tomonobu Kaya, director of Interpol's Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre. The sweep extends earlier Jackal operations, with a 2024 leg producing more than 300 arrests, and European police arresting Black Axe members in Spain in January and in Switzerland and Germany in April.
