Police departments on five continents have detained three hundred people and recovered $3 million in a combined effort to destroy West African organized crime networks in a broad worldwide operation. Aiming to fight online financial fraud and the criminal syndicates behind it, Interpol, the international police agency, said Tuesday that Operation Jackal III, which ran from April 10 to July 3 in 21 nations, aimed at.
“The volume of financial fraud stemming from West Africa is alarming and increasing,” said Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre director, Isaac Oginni. “The outcomes of this operation highlight the vital need of international law enforcement cooperation to fight these large criminal networks.”
Among the groups under focus was Black Axe, among the most infamous crime networks in West Africa. Black Axe, well-known for its participation in cybercrime, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent crimes, has been under investigation in more than 40 nations for money laundering practices. To enable its illegal activities, the organization allegedly opened bank accounts all around using money mules.
Following a five-year Black Axe investigation, police detained seventy-two people and blocked around one hundred bank accounts in a major operation in Argentina. During the crackdown, authorities also confiscated $1.2 million in premium fake banknotes.
Among other nations, citizens from Argentina, Colombia, Nigeria, and Venezuela help to emphasize the global presence of these criminal groups taken under Operation Jackal III.
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Celebrated last year at its centenary, Interpol has 196 members and is rather important in promoting national police agency communication and cooperation. Among other sorts of crime, the agency’s programs focus on organized crime, financial crime, child pornography, cybercrime, and counterterrorism.
Notwithstanding its size, Interpol, the largest police agency in the world, faces several challenges including growing caseload of cybercrime and child sex abuse as well as significant discrepancies among its members. Comparatively to the European Union’s police agency, Europol, and the FBI in the United States, with a budget of over $11 billion, Interpol ran with a total budget last year of roughly 176 million euros (approximately $188 million).
Operation Jackal III emphasizes under international cooperation the pressing need of global crime network addressing. The positive results of this operation—which include notable arrests and financial seizures—showcase the success of group actions against organized crime and preservation of financial institution integrity everywhere.
