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An eight-month INTERPOL operation targeting West African organised crime groups has led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects.
According to TheCable, 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 international police organisation said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Black Axe is an international confraternity with roots in Nigeria. Originally formed from and inspired by the Neo Black Movement of Africa, it was established at the University of Benin as part of the Pan-African movement in 1977.
However, the group has since been labelled by human rights organisations and security agencies as a “mafia-style gang”, known to engage in activities such as cybercrime, election fraud, human trafficking, illegal drug trading, intimidation, and violence.
Some of the participating countries in the operation included Nigeria, Canada, South Africa, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and Italy.
Operation Jackal IV, which spanned November 2025 to June 2026, aimed to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets, and support arrests and prosecution.
INTERPOL said the West African crime 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.
During the operation, INTERPOL said it facilitated cross-border coordination and intelligence sharing, conducted analysis, supported operational activities and provided specialised training to enhance international money laundering investigations.
“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation. By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities,” Tomonobu Kaya, director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said.
INTERPOL said the operation also identified a rise in West African organised crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14.
“Offenders typically contact minors via social media, build trust and coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. They then threaten to distribute this material to the victim’s contacts unless a ransom is paid,” the statement said.
“Some of these criminal syndicates were also observed procuring Crime-as-a-Service from external providers, often through the dark web, to outsource key activities like money laundering and other critical operations.”
INTERPOL said many of the cases from Operation Jackal IV remain under investigation.
