West African Crime Syndicate Taken Down by Interpol Operation

Operation Jackal III, a global law enforcement campaign targeting crime groups in West Africa, has led to hundreds of arrests and the seizure of assets amounting to as much as $3 million.

The operation ran from April 10 to July 3 in five continents and 21 countries, focusing on online financial fraud and the West African syndicates running it. Through the operation, law enforcement was able to make roughly 300 arrests and identify 400 additional suspects, as well as block access to more than 700 bank accounts.

"By identifying suspects, recovering illicit funds and putting some of West Africa's most dangerous organized crime leaders behind bars, we are able to weaken their influence and reduce their capacity to harm communities around the world," said Isaac Oginni, director of Interpol's Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), in a statement.

One of the groups targeted was Black Axe, which is among the most prominent West African organized crime syndicates. The group operates in cyberfraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent crimes, not just in Africa but around the world. 

Suspects of the group are citizens from Colombia, Nigeria, and Venezuela. There were also members from Argentina, where, after a five-year investigation, police seized $1.2 million and arrested 72 suspects.

This is not the first time Interpol has moved on these groups. In 2023, Operation Jackal targeted the same West African syndicates, arresting 103 individuals and seizing more than $2.2 million.