Interpol Arrests 1,209 in Africa-Wide Crypto Crime Crackdown

Interpol's Operation Serengeti 2.0 has dismantled a sprawling network of cybercriminals across 18 African nations, resulting in 1,209 arrests and the recovery of nearly $100 million in illicit assets. The three-month sting targeted illegal cryptocurrency mining operations, inheritance scams, and fraudulent investment schemes.

Angolan authorities shuttered 25 illicit crypto mining facilities powered by unauthorized electricity substations, seizing $37 million in equipment. Meanwhile, Zambian investigators uncovered a $300 million investment scam affecting 65,000 victims—one of Africa's largest crypto fraud cases to date.

The operation highlights growing international coordination against blockchain-enabled crime. Private sector partners joined law enforcement from the UK and multiple African nations to neutralize 11,432 malicious infrastructures linked to ransomware, BEC scams, and fake investment platforms.