- Operation Serengeti III disrupted 10,909 malicious networks and recovered more than $105 million in illicit funds.
- Authorities from 21 countries arrested 1,462 suspects and identified 65,929 victims.
- Angolan police dismantled two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers and seized 2,000 mining devices.
- Nigerian authorities arrested two suspects, including one linked to a $2.4 million investment fraud laundered via cryptocurrency.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, INTERPOL announced that Operation Serengeti III disrupted 10,909 malicious networks and recovered more than $105 million in illicit funds. The coordinated cybercrime crackdown ran from June 29 to August 31, 2026, and involved law enforcement agencies from 21 countries.
Authorities arrested 1,462 suspects and identified 65,929 victims, with financial investigations linking the criminal activity to losses exceeding $385 million. Group-IB, a private sector partner, said it provided INTERPOL with threat intelligence on phishing kits, botnets, and other malicious resources targeting Africa.
Team Cymru vice president Jacomo Piccolini said, “Criminals cannot operate without infrastructure. They have to build it, connect it and maintain it, and those activities create opportunities to find them.” He added, “Instead of waiting for an attack and then investigating the damage, we can help expose the networks behind criminal operations and enable defensive actions.”
Meanwhile, operational highlights from the sweep show the crypto dimension. In Uganda, authorities disrupted two transnational fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals linked to online investment and pension fraud schemes targeting victims across Asia.
In Angola, nine suspects were arrested and 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices seized, along with six illegal power transformation stations valued at over $1 million. In Nigeria, one suspect was arrested for a phishing and business email compromise operation that amassed about 2.1 million email addresses, while another was arrested for an international investment fraud scheme that moved more than $2.4 million in suspected criminal proceeds, largely laundered through cryptocurrency transactions.
In the Republic of Congo, 30 suspects were arrested. The operation follows two previous waves in 2024 and 2025 that led to more than 2,000 arrests.
INTERPOL cybercrime director Neal Jetton said, “Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale.” He stressed that international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm.
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