Interpol says 21-country operation seized over $105 million and exposed crypto-linked crime

Interpol says 21-country operation seized over $105 million and exposed crypto-linked crime

N
News Editor
2026-10-22 21:32:09
Interpol said it coordinated law enforcement agencies across 21 countries from June 29 to Aug. 31, 2026, in Operation Serengeti III, a cross-border crackdown targeting cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion. The operation led to 1,462 arrests, the dismantling of 10,909 malicious networks, and the recovery of more than $105 million in illicit funds. Investigators also identified 65,929 victims, while financial probes linked the cases to losses exceeding $385 million. Interpol disclosed several country-level cases tied to crypto activity. In Angola, authorities shut down two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers, arrested nine suspects, and seized more than 2,000 mining devices along with six illegal power transformer stations. The seized power infrastructure alone was valued at more than $1 million. In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect tied to large-scale phishing and business email compromise activity that collected about 2.1 million email addresses and software credentials. A separate investigation found an international investment scam promoted through a messaging app had moved more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, most of which was laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.

Interpol said it coordinated law enforcement agencies in 21 countries from June 29 to Aug. 31, 2026, as part of Operation Serengeti III, targeting cyber fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion.

According to the notice, the operation resulted in 1,462 arrests, the takedown of 10,909 malicious networks, and the recovery of more than $105 million in illicit funds. Investigators identified 65,929 victims, and financial investigations linked the cases to losses of more than $385 million.

Cases in Angola and Nigeria

In Angola, law enforcement dismantled two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers, arrested nine suspects, and seized more than 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices as well as six illegal power transformer stations. The seized power infrastructure alone was valued at more than $1 million.

In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect linked to large-scale phishing and business email compromise activity. Interpol said the operation collected about 2.1 million email addresses and software credentials.

A separate investigation found that an international investment scam promoted through a messaging app moved more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, with most of the funds laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.

Interpol statement and partners

Neal Jetton, Interpol's director of cybercrime, said cybercriminal networks ignore borders and use technology to target victims at an unprecedented scale. He said the operation showed that even as cybercrime becomes increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains an effective tool for dismantling criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities.

Interpol said the operation was supported by private-sector partners including Group-IB, Kaspersky, Fortinet and Meta, and was co-funded by GLACY-e, a joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe.

This article was originally published by Bit.Fan. For more cryptocurrency news and market insights, visit www.bit.fan.
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