Operation Jackal IV: 58 Arrests and a Blow to the Black Axe Syndicate

Operation Jackal IV, an international police operation coordinated by Interpol, has led to the arrest of 58 people and the identification of 263 suspects. The investigation, which ran from November 2025 to June 2026, involved law enforcement from 22 countries. Its main targets were West African criminal networks, chief among them the Black Axe syndicate.

Who Was Pursued

Black Axe and related groups are known for financial fraud on a global scale: they profit from “romance” scams, cryptocurrency and investment cons, and business email compromise (BEC). They are also frequently linked to violent crime.

According to Interpol, some of the syndicates relied on “Crime-as-a-Service,” ordering money laundering and other mission-critical operations from third-party providers through the dark web. The agency separately flagged a scheme to blackmail minors: the perpetrators gain their victims' trust through social media, pressure them into sending explicit material, and then demand a ransom under threat of distributing it.

Results by Country

Police in Argentina made 17 arrests and linked 196 suspects to a major Crime-as-a-Service network that supplied African groups with web domains and money-laundering support.

Authorities in South Africa detained 39 people, froze 257 bank accounts, and seized $2.67 million from a syndicate that preyed on retirees in English-speaking countries through investment and “romance” schemes.

In Romania, another 11 suspects were arrested from a group operating out of a call center: victims were lured with promises of high returns on stocks and cryptocurrency. Italian police identified one individual tied to a pan-European money-laundering network that used shell companies, money transfer services, and cash.

Part of a Broader Campaign

The operation fits into a string of recent Interpol actions against online fraud. From December 8 to January 30, Operation Red Card 2.0 led to the detention of 651 suspects across 16 African countries. And in July, Operation First Light 2026, which involved investigators from 97 countries, resulted in the arrest of 5,811 people and the seizure of $293 million in assets.

Source: Bleeping Computer