From broken hearts to emptied bank accounts, West African criminal networks are using a multitude of schemes to launder money across borders. An international Interpol operation, “Jackal IV,” has just cut some of their circuits.
Operation Jackal IV, conducted over eight months by Interpol against West African organized criminal networks, led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects, with particularly significant results in South Africa.
Conducted from November 2025 to June 2026 with the participation of 22 countries, the operation aimed to dismantle money laundering mechanisms, identify high-level criminals, seize assets derived from illicit activities, and facilitate arrests and prosecutions.
In South Africa, the authorities raided seven sites in Johannesburg linked to a network specializing in romance scams and investment fraud, primarily targeting retirees from English-speaking countries. The operation led to 39 arrests.
South African investigators also seized $2.67 million and froze 257 bank accounts linked to the criminal network. Interpol deployed an operational support team to assist authorities in data analysis and dismantling the network.
Ivory Coast and Nigeria were also among the African countries participating in the operation, alongside South Africa.
However, information released by Interpol did not specify the number of arrests or seizures made specifically in these two countries.
The operation targeted networks such as Black Axe and other West African criminal groups involved in a significant portion of digitally facilitated financial fraud.
These organisations notably resort to romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, and the compromise of business emails.
Interpol also highlights a worrying evolution in methods of operation in West Africa, with the increasing use of sextortion of minors, with some networks targeting victims as young as 14.
Investigators have also found that some West African criminal groups are using “Crime-as-a-Service,” particularly via the dark web, to outsource operations such as money laundering.
“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation. By tracing illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the lifeblood of organized crime,” said Tomonobu Kaya, Director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Corruption Centre.
AC/Sf/fss/gik/APA