- More than 1,200 individuals were taken into custody during the course of Operation Serengeti 2.0.
- This year’s coordinated effort represents a significant increase in both scope and arrests compared to the prior year’s initiative.
In a coordinated law enforcement effort spanning three months, Interpol assisted authorities across Africa in apprehending over 1,200 suspects, recovering funds approaching $100 million, and dismantling fraudulent networks that victimized tens of thousands of individuals.
This major crackdown, known as Operation Serengeti 2.0, united investigators from 18 African nations and the United Kingdom. Their combined efforts targeted ransomware attacks, large-scale cryptocurrency investment scams, and other transnational cybercrime syndicates.
One of the most significant actions related to cryptocurrency occurred in Angola, where authorities closed down 25 unauthorized mining facilities linked to foreign entities. Equipment and power infrastructure valued at approximately $37 million, used for running these illegal operations, were seized.
In Ghana and the Seychelles, investigations successfully disrupted money laundering networks associated with the Bl00dy and RansomHub ransomware groups. Meanwhile, in Zambia, law enforcement dismantled a widespread cryptocurrency investment scam that impacted 65,000 individuals and resulted in losses estimated at $300 million.
These outcomes build upon the success of the initial Serengeti operation in 2024, which resulted in 1,006 arrests across 19 countries and the identification of $193 million in losses to victims, though it did not specify the amount recovered.
The prior campaign shut down over 134,000 malicious resources – encompassing scam websites, phishing domains, and command-and-control servers – in stark contrast to the 11,432 addressed this year.
While the decrease in the number of taken down resources may initially seem like a setback, it actually suggests a shift in focus. With fewer easily identifiable, low-level targets remaining after last year’s extensive removals, the current operation appears to be prioritizing the disruption of larger, more significant operators and networks.
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email at kbaird@dlnews.com.