An international law enforcement operation, dubbed Operation Jackal IV, has resulted in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects globally, targeting the financial networks of West African organized crime groups, including Black Axe. The operation, announced by Interpol, aimed to disrupt money laundering activities, locate high-value targets, seize assets, and support prosecutions.
Black Axe is described as a highly structured, hierarchical organization, primarily led by Nigerian nationals, that generates billions of dollars annually from numerous small-scale operations across dozens of countries. Earlier in the year, European law enforcement had already arrested several members of the group for their involvement in adversary-in-the-middle scams, business email compromise (BEC), money laundering, and vehicle trafficking.
Operation Jackal IV spanned four continents, uncovering Crime-as-a-Service infrastructure. Among the preliminary discoveries detailed by Interpol, Romanian authorities dismantled an investment scam operating from a call center. This group promised high returns on stocks or cryptocurrencies, routing victim payments to electronic wallets they controlled. Police estimate the total value of this scam at 143 million euros (approximately $166 million). Eleven individuals were arrested, and authorities seized about 330,000 euros ($379,000) in cash and cryptocurrency, six properties, and several luxury watches.
In South Africa, 39 of the 58 arrests were made during raids on seven sites in Johannesburg. These sites were linked to a syndicate that targeted retirees in English-speaking countries with romance and investment scams. Investigators seized $2.67 million and froze 257 bank accounts.
Argentine authorities identified 196 individuals connected to a Crime-as-a-Service network suspected of providing website domains and money laundering support to West African groups, leading to 17 arrests. In Italy, one individual was identified in connection with a pan-European money laundering network that utilized shell companies, remittance services, and cash withdrawals. A single account associated with this network reportedly moved 845,000 euros ($736,000) through 560 transactions.
Investigators also observed Black Axe's increasing involvement in sextortion, with victims as young as 14. Offenders are reportedly contacting teenagers on social media, coercing them into creating explicit images, and then demanding payment to prevent the material from being publicly released.
This is not Interpol's first initiative against African-based criminal groups. A similar operation in 2024 led to 300 arrests, the seizure of $3 million in assets, and the blocking of 720 bank accounts. The director of Interpol's Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre emphasized that by tracing illicit financial flows across borders, law enforcement is directly attacking the financial lifeline of organized crime, making it harder for these networks to profit.
