"International Net Closes on Digital Outlaws, Unearths $97M in Africa"

Interpol has coordinated a significant cross-border operation targeting cybercriminal activities in Africa, resulting in the arrest of 1,209 individuals and the recovery of USD 97.4 million. Dubbed Operation Serengeti 2.0, the initiative spanned June to August 2025 and involved investigators from 18 African countries and the United Kingdom. The operation focused on dismantling high-impact cybercrimes including ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), and fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes that affected nearly 88,000 victims across the continent. Among the key achievements, Angolan authorities dismantled 25 illegal cryptocurrency mining centers, where 60 Chinese nationals were involved in illicit blockchain activities. The operation led to the seizure of mining and IT equipment worth over USD 37 million, which will now be repurposed for power distribution in vulnerable areas. In addition to cryptocurrency-related crimes, the operation also targeted broader cyberfraud schemes. For instance, Zambian authorities uncovered an online investment fraud that defrauded 65,000 victims of an estimated USD 300 million through deceptive cryptocurrency campaigns. In the same region, a suspected human trafficking network was also disrupted. Another notable success was the dismantling of a transnational inheritance scam in Côte d'Ivoire, originally orchestrated in Germany. The scam led to USD 1.6 million in losses for victims, who were deceived into paying fees for fake inheritances. Valdecy Urquiza, INTERPOL’s Secretary General, emphasized the importance of such operations in fostering international collaboration and enhancing investigative capabilities across jurisdictions. The operation was supported by hands-on training workshops for investigators, covering topics such as cryptocurrency analysis, ransomware tactics, and open-source intelligence tools. Additionally, the initiative leveraged partnerships with private sector entities including Cybercrime Atlas, Fortinet, and Group-IB, which provided technical intelligence and investigative support. These collaborations were critical in identifying and neutralizing malicious infrastructures, with a total of 11,432 such systems dismantled during the operation. The operation was also aligned with a preventive strategy through the International Cyber Offender Prevention Network (InterCOP), a consortium of 36 countries working to identify and neutralize potential cybercriminal activities before they materialize. Operation Serengeti 2.0 was funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and fell under the umbrella of the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime. The results of the operation underscore the growing scale and complexity of cybercrime in Africa and the necessity for sustained international cooperation and technological innovation in law enforcement efforts. As cybercriminal networks become increasingly transnational and sophisticated, the success of such operations highlights the importance of intelligence sharing, cross-border collaboration, and proactive measures in safeguarding digital ecosystems and protecting vulnerable populations from exploitation.

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[1] African authorities dismantle massive cybercrime and fraud networks, recover millions (https://www.interpol.int/News-and-Events/News/2025/African-authorities-dismantle-massive-cybercrime-and-fraud-networks-recover-millions)

[2] Large Interpol cybercrime crackdown in Africa leads to the arrest of over 1,200 suspects (https://apnews.com/article/interpol-africa-cybercrime-057fee9214a008eb2829a672b10e69b0)

[3] INTERPOL Arrests 1209 Cybercriminals Across 18 African Countries in Cybercrime Crackdown (https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/interpol-arrests-1209-cybercriminals.html)

[4] Interpol cybercrime crackdown in Africa leads to the arrest of 1,209 suspects (https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/large-interpol-cybercrime-crackdown-africa-leads-arrest-1200-124875773)

[5] Interpol Coordinates Crackdown On Illegal Angola-Based Crypto Miners (https://cointelegraph.com/news/interpol-raid-angola-crypto-miners)