INTERPOL Taken Down West African Organized Crime Groups

Operation Jackal III has successfully targeted West African organized crime groups, including the notorious Black Axe syndicate. From April 10 to July 3, the operation spanned 21 countries across five continents.

The coordinated effort led to the arrest of approximately 300 suspects, the identification of over 400 additional individuals, and the blocking of more than 720 bank accounts.

Assets worth USD 3 million were seized, and multiple criminal networks were dismantled. Isaac Oginni, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), emphasized the operation’s significance: “The volume of financial fraud stemming from West Africa is alarming and increasing.”

The results of this operation underscore the critical need for international law enforcement collaboration to combat these extensive criminal networks.

Major Arrests and Seizures in Argentina and Switzerland

In Argentina, Operation Jackal III culminated in the dismantling of a significant Nigerian-led transnational criminal network following a five-year investigation.

The Argentinian Federal Police seized USD 1.2 million in high-quality counterfeit banknotes, known as ‘supernotes,’ arrested 72 suspects, and froze approximately 100 bank accounts.

The network, which used money mules to open bank accounts globally, is now under investigation in over 40 countries for related money laundering activities.

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The suspects include citizens from Argentina, Colombia, Nigeria, and Venezuela. Over 160 fraud victims suffered significant financial losses, with some forced to sell their homes or take out large loans.

In Switzerland, law enforcement officials seized over a kilogram of cocaine and approximately EUR 45,000 in cash. Multiple suspects believed to be part of a West African organized crime syndicate were arrested.

INTERPOL supported the operation by providing real-time access to its databases, facilitating the identification of criminals and their activities.

Cryptocurrency Transactions and International Collaboration

In Portugal, criminal police dismantled a Nigerian network involved in recruiting money mules and laundering funds from online financial fraud victims across Europe.

More than 25 syndicate members were identified, and data from seized computers and phones revealed large transfers to Nigerian bank accounts, cryptocurrency transactions, and sophisticated money laundering operations.

Diego Verdun, Head of Argentina’s National Central Bureau, highlighted the operation’s importance, stating, “Operation Jackal is a crucial step forward in combating West African online financial fraud and demonstrates that cybercriminals cannot escape the watchful eye of INTERPOL’s 196 member countries—especially in Argentina.”

Operation Jackal III mobilized police forces, financial intelligence units, asset recovery offices, and private sector partners in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cote D’Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

By tracing illegal money trails worldwide, INTERPOL and the global police community ensured that no matter where these criminals tried to hide, they would be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice.

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