Interpol: The African Cybercrime Operation recovered over 105 million USD in illegal funds and seized more than 2,000 cryptocurrency mining machines

The International Criminal Police Organization stated that Operation Serengeti III took place from June 29 to August 31, 2026, across 21 countries, resulting in the arrest of 1,462 suspects, the dismantling of 10,909 malicious networks, and the recovery of over 105 million dollars in illegal funds. The investigation also confirmed that 65,929 victims were attacked by cybercrime gangs, with related losses exceeding 385 million dollars.

This operation focused on combating online fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams, and digital extortion. In specific cases, the Ugandan police dismantled two transnational fraud gangs and arrested 365 foreign nationals; Angola seized two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers, arrested 9 individuals, and confiscated over 2,000 mining machines; in Nigeria, another case involved over 2.4 million dollars in suspected criminal proceeds, a significant portion of which was laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.