Interpol said a global enforcement operation across 97 countries and territories led to the seizure of $293 million in illicit assets and the detention of 5,811 suspects. The crackdown ran from mid-January to the end of April, during which authorities also blocked 31,014 bank accounts, reviewed more than 152,000 cases, and identified over 142,000 victims.
The operation focused on the movement of criminal proceeds across both banking rails and crypto networks. Interpol said organized groups are increasingly using fast token swaps between blockchains and routing funds through multiple layers to hide where the money came from. The pattern is familiar. The execution is getting harder to unwind.
Thai investigation traced $122.5 million through one wallet
One of the most prominent cases came from Thailand, where police detained two suspects. According to Interpol, a 20-year-old suspect managed a cryptocurrency wallet that saw more than $122.5 million pass through it in just 10 months. Authorities said the funds were linked to laundering proceeds taken from victims in online romance scams.
Investigators found that the suspects converted the money into multiple crypto assets and used cross-chain token swaps to blur the trail. That kind of transfer can make it difficult for investigators to determine which address or network ultimately received the funds. Interpol said criminal networks are leaning more heavily on these rapid, multi-step movements to conceal origin points.
I-GRIP used to halt suspicious transfers across borders
During the four-month operation, Interpol deployed a payment stop tool called I-GRIP to trace both traditional money transfers and virtual asset flows. The system was designed to help member countries quickly interrupt suspicious payments and support investigations tied to criminal proceeds. In cross-border cases, timing matters. A delayed response can leave both on-chain and banking evidence scattered.
Tomonobu Kaya, head of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Center, said criminal organizations exploit human psychology to manipulate targets and that no country can remain secure on its own. That message matched the structure of the cases involved: victims in one jurisdiction, handlers in another, and money shifting between bank accounts and blockchain networks.
Interpol links crypto fraud to wider transnational crime networks
Interpol described crypto-related scams as a central pillar of broader transnational criminal structures. The organization’s General Assembly in Marrakech approved a resolution treating these networks as a cross-border threat. Interpol said such operations often combine human trafficking, online deception, and digital asset transfers as part of the same scheme.
United Nations investigators estimate that from 2020 to 2024, these networks generated tens of billions of dollars. Many depend on workers kept in exploitative conditions in fortified compounds across Southeast Asia. Thailand has become a frontline state for these probes because of its proximity to the borders with Myanmar and Cambodia.
Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis said illicit funds flowing into crypto fraud accelerated in 2025, with the average scam payment rising to $2,764. The firm pointed to a rise in AI-driven schemes, phishing tools, and layered laundering networks as factors behind the increase.