Interpol Operation Targets West African Criminal Organizations
Interpol announced Tuesday that police detained 300 people, seized $3 million, and banned 720 bank accounts as part of a global investigation targeting West African organized crime gangs spanning five continents.
Operation Jackal III, which took place in 21 countries between April 10 and July 3, aims to combat online financial fraud and the West African syndicates that perpetrate it, according to the agency.
“The volume of financial fraud originating in West Africa is alarming and increasing,” said Isaac Oginni, director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre. “This operation’s results underscore the critical need for international law enforcement collaboration to combat these extensive criminal networks.”
One of the targeted groups was Black Axe, one of West Africa’s most significant crime networks.
Black Axe engages in cybercrime, human trafficking, and drug smuggling, as well as violent crimes across Africa and around the world, according to the CIA.
According to the CIA, Black Axe utilized money mules to open bank accounts all around the world and is now being investigated in over 40 countries for money laundering-related actions. The suspects are citizens of Argentina, Colombia, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
After a five-year investigation, Argentina’s police clamped down on Black Axe, seizing $1.2 million in high-quality counterfeit bills, arresting 72 people, and freezing about 100 bank accounts.
Interpol, which has 196 member nations and celebrated its centenary last year, helps national police forces communicate with one another and track down suspects and offenders in domains such as counterterrorism, financial crime, child pornography, cybercrime, and organized crime.
The world’s largest, if not best-funded, police agency has faced new problems, including an increase in cybercrime and child sex abuse cases, as well as rising tensions among member countries.
Interpol had a total budget of about 176 million euros (about $188 million) last year, compared to more than 200 million euros at Europol, the European Union’s police agency, and approximately $11 billion at the FBI in the United States.
