The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has arrested more than 300 individuals linked to Black Axe, one of West Africa’s most feared criminal networks, along with other affiliated groups.
The notorious Black Axe is involved in various illicit activities including trafficking, prostitution, and killings globally, with cybercrime being its largest source of revenue.
The arrests were made under “Operation Jackal III,” which ran from April 10 to July 3 across 21 countries on five continents, targeting online financial fraud and the West African syndicates behind it. The operation led to the seizure of assets worth $3 million and the dismantling of multiple criminal networks, with over 400 additional suspects identified and more than 720 bank accounts blocked.
INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC) played a crucial role in facilitating intelligence exchange and assisting in the identification and apprehension of suspects. Isaac Oginni, the Director of IFCACC, emphasized the growing concern over financial fraud stemming from West Africa, highlighting the operation’s success in weakening the influence of some of the region’s most dangerous organized crime leaders.
The operation mobilized police forces, financial intelligence units, asset recovery offices, and private sector partners in various countries including Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, and others. In Argentina, a significant outcome of the operation was the dismantling of a Nigerian-led transnational criminal network, resulting in the seizure of $1.2 million in counterfeit banknotes, the arrest of 72 suspects, and the freezing of approximately 100 bank accounts. This network, under investigation in over 40 countries, was involved in laundering funds from fraud victims worldwide.
Tomonobu Kaya, a senior official at IFCACC, noted the importance of financial technology and cryptocurrency in aiding these criminal syndicates. He explained, “They are very organised and very structured. These criminal syndicates are early adopters of new technologies… A lot of fintech developments make it easy to illegally move money around the world.”
Operation Jackal III also saw success in Switzerland, where authorities cracked down on West African organized crime syndicates, seizing cocaine, approximately EUR 45,000 in cash, and arresting multiple suspects. In Portugal, criminal police dismantled a Nigerian network involved in recruiting money mules and laundering funds from online financial fraud victims across Europe. The investigation revealed large transfers to Nigerian bank accounts, cryptocurrency transactions, and sophisticated money laundering operations.
