Law enforcement agencies from 22 countries have identified 263 suspects and arrested 58 people linked to cybercrime networks run by African organized crime groups.
The international operation, called 'Operation Jackal IV,' ran from November 2025 to June 2026, targeting West African criminal networks, including the Black Axe cybercrime syndicate.
Black Axe and similar groups are known for large-scale financial fraud, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams, and business email compromise (BEC). Some groups have also been linked to violent crimes.
In Argentina, police arrested 17 people and linked 196 suspects to a Crime-as-a-Service network that provided criminal groups with web domains and money-laundering services.
South African authorities arrested 39 people, blocked 257 bank accounts, and seized $2.67 million from a group that targeted retirees in English-speaking countries with investment and romance scams.
Police in Romania arrested 11 suspects connected to a call center that used promises of high returns from stocks and cryptocurrencies to target victims. Italian authorities also identified a suspect linked to a money-laundering network that used shell companies, remittance services, and cash withdrawals.
Between December 2025 and January 2026, 651 arrests across 16 African countries were made as part of Operation Red Card 2.0. More recently, in July 2026, Operation First Light 2026 resulted in 5,811 arrests and the seizure of $293 million in illicit assets across 97 countries.