Law enforcement agencies from 21 countries arrested 1,462 suspects and recovered more than $105 million in an Interpol-coordinated crackdown on cybercrime in Africa. The operation disrupted 10,909 malicious networks and identified 65,929 victims, with financial investigations linking the networks to losses exceeding $385 million.
Operation Serengeti III ran from June 29 to August 31, 2026, targeting ransomware, online scams, business email compromise, digital extortion, and other cyber-enabled fraud.
Regional Actions
In Angola, investigators dismantled two illegal crypto mining centers, arresting nine people and seizing more than 2,000 mining devices along with six illegal power transformation stations. The seized electrical equipment was valued at more than $1 million.
In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect involved in an international investment fraud scheme promoted through messaging apps. Investigators traced more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, much of which was laundered through crypto transactions. Another Nigerian suspect was arrested for running a phishing and business email compromise operation that collected approximately 2.1 million email addresses.
Ugandan authorities dismantled two transnational fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals linked to online investment and pension scams targeting victims in Asia. The rings operated rotating call centers using scripts, fake trading platforms, and fraudulent websites to solicit investments in non-existent opportunities.
Additional arrests included 30 suspects linked to a cybercrime operation in the Republic of Congo.
Partnership and Ongoing Efforts
Private-sector partners including Group-IB, Kaspersky, blockchain analytics firm Uppsala Security, and Meta supported the operation. Several investigations remain active as authorities work to identify additional suspects and trace illicit proceeds.
"Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale," said Neal Jetton, Interpol's director of cybercrime.
