One of the biggest and longest-running international criminal investigations – begun by Gardai in Ireland and now involving police forces in 21 other countries – has seen another major round of arrests.
And in the latest round of arrests across Europe and beyond, police targeted the latest, deeply concerning cybercrime trend – the so-called ‘sextortion’ of minors. This is where West African organised crime groups target minors, with victims as young as 14. Offenders typically contact minors via social media, build trust and coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. They then threaten to distribute this material to the victim’s contacts unless a ransom is paid. Sextortion cases have resulted in suicides amongst distressed victims.
Operation Jackal – known as Operation Skein in Ireland – is co-ordinated by Interpol and targeted at criminal networks linked to highly organised gangs in West Africa. Ongoing for five years, Operation Jackal has a global reach but originated in Ireland, thanks to the work of a specialist Garda unit.
Interpol became alarmed at the reach of mainly Nigerian-based gangs operating in Europe in 2020, following a series of police raids by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB). What started as a targeted operation against West African gang members operating in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and elsewhere in the country exposed a huge network after a number of Black Axe gang members were arrested by Gardai.
Garda detective superintendent Michael Cryan of the GNECB, which led the operation, said at the time that the gangs were “very under the radar, very low-key.”
However, he said: ‘the amount of money being laundered through Ireland was astronomical”.
Gardaí out as part of Operation Jackal
Black Axe gang members and their Irish associates were involved in a wide range of crimes, including money laundering, counterfeiting luxury goods, prostitution, drug dealing and cybercrime. In 2023, there was a round of arrests in Ireland, including in Cork.
The Gardai identified 1,000 people with links to Black Axe in Ireland and made hundreds of arrests, including over 60 across Munster in 2024. Officers from Tralee, Waterford and Tipperary Garda Stations joined personnel in 37 searches nationwide between April and July 2024, during which 63 people were arrested and a range of luxury products were seized.
At the same time, Gardai warned that over €200m had been stolen from Irish bank accounts online in the five years to 2024 by criminals linked to the Black Axe gang and other Nigerian/West African crime syndicates.
In the latest Operation Jackal arrests, carried out over the last few days in countries including France, Romania, Italy and South Africa, police have made 58 arrests and identified a further 263 suspects. The eight-month operation was dubbed Jackal IV and police across 22 countries including Ireland and now following up on the latest networks exposed.
Gardai and Interpol have carried out search operations across Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Clare, Laois, Meath and Dublin(Image: Interpol)
In a statement from their HQ in Lyon in France this morning, Interpol said the 8-month investigation had aimed to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets, and support arrests and prosecution.
Interpol said the latest round of Operation Jackal investigations had included Irish officers amongst those from 22 other nations on six continents as was “a response to the escalating global threat posed by West African criminal networks – such as the Black Axe and other similar groups. These groups are responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance scams, cryptocurrency and investment scams or business email compromise fraud, as well as other serious and violent crimes.”
During the operation, INTERPOL facilitated cross-border coordination and intelligence sharing, conducted analysis, supported operational activities and provided specialized training to enhance international money laundering investigations.
Tomonobu Kaya, Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said:
“Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international cooperation. By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organized crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities.”
Due to the complexity of financial crime, many cases from Operation Jackal IV remain under investigation, however, preliminary outcomes include:
- Argentina: 196 individuals were identified for their role in a major Crime-as-a-Service network, suspected of providing website domains and money laundering support to West African organized crime groups. The investigation led to 17 arrests. An INTERPOL Operational Support Team (OST) was deployed to assist the operation, providing analytical support on seized data, identifying criminal networks and suspects, and engaging with international partners to advance ongoing investigative leads.
- South Africa: Authorities raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. The criminal network operated an elaborate structure, with members designated as “conversion” or “retention” agents and tasked with different stages of the scam. An INTERPOL OST was also deployed locally to support South African law enforcement authorities who seized USD 2.67 million, blocked 257 bank accounts and arrested 39 individuals.
- Italy: One individual was identified in relation to a pan-European money laundering network that used shell companies, remittance services and cash withdrawals to obscure fund origins. A single account laundered EUR 845,000 (USD 736,000) across 560 transactions using 20 different financial instruments.
- Romania: Authorities dismantled a criminal group running a sophisticated investment scam via a call centre that touted high returns in stocks or cryptocurrencies. Victims’ money was diverted to electronic wallets controlled by the perpetrators, resulting in an estimated EUR 143 million stolen and laundered globally. Police arrested 11 individuals and seized approximately EUR 330,000 (USD 379,000) in cash and cryptocurrency, six real estate properties and several luxury watches.
Beyond individual cases, Operation Jackal IV also enabled the analysis of critical and emerging trends, including a rise in West African organized crime groups using sextortion to target minors, with victims as young as 14. Offenders typically contact minors via social media, build trust and coerce them into sharing explicit images or videos. They then threaten to distribute this material to the victim’s contacts unless a ransom is paid.
Some of these criminal syndicates were also observed procuring Crime-as-a-Service from external providers, often through the dark web, to outsource key activities like money laundering and other critical operations.