In a major international operation named Jackal III, Interpol coordinated police forces from 21 countries to target West African crime groups involved in online financial fraud. The operation, which took place between April 10th and July 3rd, resulted in 300 arrests,
$3 million seized in cash, and 720 bank accounts blocked.
Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre Director, Isaac Oginni, highlighted the concerning rise in financial fraud originating from West Africa. He emphasized the importance of global collaboration between law enforcement agencies to combat these extensive criminal networks.
One of the primary targets was Black Axe, a notorious West African criminal organization involved in cybercrime, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent crimes. Black Axe reportedly uses money mules to set up bank accounts internationally and is currently under investigation in over 40 countries for money laundering. The operation apprehended suspects from Argentina, Colombia, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
In a separate but related development, Argentinian authorities following a five-year investigation, dismantled a Black Axe cell. They seized $1.2 million in counterfeit bills, arrested 72 suspects, and froze nearly 100 bank accounts.
Interpol, a global organization with 196 member countries, facilitates communication and information sharing between national police forces in various areas like counterterrorism, financial crime, child endangerment online, cybercrime, and organized crime.
Despite being the world’s largest international police organization, Interpol faces challenges. Their workload is growing due to the rise of cybercrime and child sexual abuse content online. Additionally, there are increasing political divisions among member countries. Interpol’s budget is also significantly smaller compared to organizations like Europol (the European Union’s police agency) and the FBI (US Federal Bureau of Investigation).
