South Africa has emerged as a major focus of a global INTERPOL crackdown on West African organised crime networks, with 39 people arrested in Johannesburg during raids linked to romance and investment scams.
The arrests formed part of Operation Jackal IV, an eight-month operation targeting the growing international threat posed by West African criminal networks, including groups such as Black Axe and similar organisations.
INTERPOL said the operation resulted in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across 22 countries on six continents.
Joburg raids target alleged scam syndicate
South African authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate accused of running romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
According to INTERPOL, the alleged criminal network operated through an elaborate structure, with members designated as “conversion” and “retention” agents responsible for different stages of the scams.
An INTERPOL Operational Support Team was deployed to assist South African law enforcement authorities during the operation.
Authorities seized USD2.67 million, blocked 257 bank accounts and arrested 39 people in South Africa.
INTERPOL has not publicly disclosed the identities or nationalities of the 39 people arrested in Johannesburg. However, the arrests were made as part of an international operation specifically targeting West African organised crime groups and the financial networks supporting them.
Interpol puts West African networks in the spotlight
INTERPOL said Operation Jackal IV, which ran from November 2025 to June 2026, was launched in response to the escalating global threat posed by West African criminal networks, including Black Axe and other similar groups.
The international policing organisation said these groups are responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, including romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams, and business email compromise fraud, as well as other serious and violent crimes.
“An eight-month operation targeting West African organized crime groups has led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects,” INTERPOL said.
The operation brought together law enforcement authorities from 22 countries, including South Africa, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, among others.
“Attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime”
Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said the operation demonstrated the importance of international co-operation in disrupting criminal organisations and their money flows.
“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation,” Kaya said.
“By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organized crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities.”
From romance scams to sextortion
Beyond the Johannesburg arrests, the operation uncovered criminal networks and financial schemes in several countries.
In Argentina, 196 people were identified in connection with a Crime-as-a-Service network suspected of providing website domains and money-laundering support to West African organised crime groups, resulting in 17 arrests.
In Romania, authorities dismantled an alleged investment scam operated through a call centre and arrested 11 people, while an investigation in Italy identified a person linked to a pan-European money-laundering network.
INTERPOL also warned of an emerging trend involving West African organised crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with some victims as young as 14.
The organisation said many cases uncovered during Operation Jackal IV remain under investigation, meaning further arrests and developments could follow as authorities continue tracing suspects and illicit financial flows.
