In a major blow to one of West Africa’s most feared criminal networks, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has arrested over 300 individuals linked to the notorious Black Axe group and its affiliates.
The operation, dubbed “Jackal III,” was conducted across 21 countries from April to July 2024 and targeted the group’s advanced cybercrime activities.
Black Axe, known for its involvement in trafficking, prostitution, and killing operations around the world, has cybercrime as its largest source of revenue.
The group, which includes university-educated members recruited during their schooling, is responsible for a significant portion of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud and other serious crimes.
Operation Jackal III led to the seizure of approximately $3 million in illegal assets and the freezing of over 700 bank accounts.
Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre stressed the importance of financial technology and cryptocurrency in aiding the operations of cybercrime syndicates, which are renowned for multi-million dollar online scams.
Despite these efforts, experts emphasize the need for preventative measures to address the underlying issues driving such criminal activity in West Africa.
Dr. Oluwole Ojewale of the Institute for Security Studies blamed the government’s laxity in curtailing criminal groups and the use of these syndicates by politicians for their own gains.
Interpol’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments system, launched to counter these tactics, enables authorities in its 196-member countries to freeze bank accounts around the world with unprecedented speed.
The mechanism was used to halt a $40 million scam targeting a Singaporean business in July 2024.
The operation builds upon previous Jackal raids, allowing Interpol to develop a comprehensive intelligence database shared among its member countries.
Tomonobu Kaya, a senior Interpol official, stressed the importance of international collaboration and intelligence sharing to combat Black Axe and similar syndicates, stating, “If we can gather this data, we can take action.”