Côte d'Ivoire remains the largest economy in the West African Economic and Monetary Union - AfDB

Fifty-eight individuals associated with organized cyber-crime groups in West Africa were apprehended in a coordinated operation spanning 22 countries and six continents. This operation, known as Operation Jackal IV, was spearheaded by the international law enforcement agency Interpol and focused on those responsible for romance and investment scams.

The investigation also unmasked 263 additional suspects. Interpol emphasized that this response was prompted by the growing global menace posed by these criminal networks, including the notorious Nigerian Black Axe group, which is suspected of contributing significantly to cyber-enabled financial fraud. The operation also facilitated the examination of emerging trends, such as the utilization of sextortion tactics to target minors, with victims as young as 14 years old.

Dubbed Operation Jackal IV, this multinational operation ran from November 2025 to June 2026 and delved into various aspects of these criminal networks, including their money laundering techniques and the execution of cybercrimes like cryptocurrency and email fraud. According to Interpol, these scams frequently targeted retirees residing in English-speaking nations.

The agency's Director, Tomonobu Kaya, stated that by tracking illicit financial flows across borders, they are effectively undermining the financial foundation of these criminal organizations, thereby reducing their capacity to profit from their nefarious activities.

Interpol played a pivotal role during Operation Jackal IV, providing cross-border coordination and intelligence sharing, as well as specialized training for money-laundering investigations in the participating countries. Preliminary results of the operation revealed arrests in Argentina, Italy, Romania, and South Africa. In South Africa, seven locations linked to a syndicate engaged in romance and investment scams were raided, with local authorities assisted by Interpol in Johannesburg. The South African police executed 39 arrests, seized $2.67 million, and disabled 257 bank accounts.

Beyond cyber-enabled fraud, Interpol revealed that the West African networks were also implicated in other severe and violent crimes. Operation Jackal IV is part of a series of similar "Jackal" police operations initiated since 2022. In 2024, Operation Jackal III resulted in the arrest of 300 individuals linked to the Black Axe and other affiliated groups.

Black Axe, a shadowy criminal network with operations spanning trafficking, prostitution, and killing, primarily recruits members in Nigeria, many of whom are reportedly university-educated individuals inducted during their schooling years.