Interpol-Led Operation Leads to Arrests of More Than 1,200 Suspected Cybercriminals in Africa

In Angola, 25 crypto mining centers manned by 60 Chinese nationals were among the malicious infrastructures dismantled, Interpol stated.

The Interpol logo during the 89th Interpol General Assembly in Istanbul on Nov. 23, 2021. The delegates elected Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi of the United Arab Emirates as the organization’s new president on Nov. 25, 2021. Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

A sweeping intergovernmental operation coordinated by Interpol has resulted in the arrests of 1,209 alleged cybercriminals across Africa and the takedown of 11,432 malicious infrastructures, the agency announced on Aug. 22.

Investigators from 18 African countries and the UK took part in the crackdown, dubbed Operation Serengeti 2.0, that lasted from June to August. Authorities tackled cybercrimes, including ransomware, online scams, business email compromise, and inheritance scams, recovering $97.4 million.