More than 300 arrests made in global crackdown on Black Axe crime network

August 28 (THEWILL) – More than 300 suspects from the Black Axe criminal network have been arrested in a series of coordinated raids across 21 countries by law enforcement agencies.

The Interpol-led operation, codenamed “Operation Jackal III,” aims to drain the swamps of sophisticated cybercriminal activity and the global reach of the West African mafia.

Black Axe is originally from Nigeria and is known for its involvement in human trafficking, prostitution and cyber-based financial fraud.

“They are very organised and very structured,” Tomonobu Kaya, a senior Interpol official, told the BBC, in a report tracking the group’s adoption of new technologies, including cryptocurrency for money laundering.

Years in the making, Operation Jackal III led to the seizure of $3 million in assets and the freezing of more than 700 bank accounts. The operation built on previous Jackal raids, allowing Interpol to develop a comprehensive intelligence database shared among its 196 member states.

Despite these efforts, experts stress the need for preventive measures in West Africa to address the root causes of such criminal activities.

Dr Oluwole Ojewale of the Institute for Security Studies stressed the importance of addressing “the general failure of governance” that fuels recruitment to groups like Black Axe.

The Jackal operations originated in Ireland, following Garda raids in 2020 that exposed a significant Black Axe network. Highlighting the scale of money laundering in Ireland and the increasing sophistication of cybercrime, Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan said: “Bank robberies are now being done on laptops.”

In Ireland, more than 1,000 people have been identified with links to Black Axe, many of whom have been arrested.

A recent operation that seized over €1 million in bitcoin assets revealed that the group is increasingly using cryptocurrencies for money laundering.

Interpol has deployed new technologies such as the I-GRIP system to counter these tactics, which allows for the rapid freezing of bank accounts worldwide. Mr. Kaya stressed the importance of international cooperation and intelligence sharing to combat Black Axe and similar syndicates, stating: “If we can gather this data, we can take action.”