A major international operation targeting West African organised crime networks, including the Black Axe group, has led to the identification of 263 suspects and the arrest of 58 people across 22 countries.

INTERPOL disclosed the results of the operation in a statement published on its website on Tuesday.

The operation, codenamed Operation Jackal IV, was coordinated by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and conducted between November 2025 and June 2026.

According to INTERPOL, the operation involved law enforcement agencies from 22 countries across six continents and focused on dismantling criminal networks, tracing illicit financial flows, identifying key suspects, recovering criminal proceeds and supporting prosecutions.

The international police organisation said the targeted networks were linked to various forms of financial crime, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, as well as business email compromise schemes.

It said the operation was launched in response to the growing international reach of West African criminal networks, particularly Black Axe and other groups associated with cyber-enabled fraud and violent crime.

Nigeria was among the countries that participated in the operation, alongside Austria, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Tomonobu Kaya, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said the operation demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in tackling organised crime.

“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,” Kaya said.

INTERPOL said the operation highlighted the increasingly transnational nature of West African organised crime, with criminal networks exploiting borders and international financial systems to expand their activities and conceal illicit proceeds.

It stressed the need for sustained cooperation among law enforcement agencies to disrupt criminal networks, dismantle their financial infrastructure and bring perpetrators to justice. (Guardian)