Interpol’s crackdown highlights the global rise of crypto crime, exposing scams, illegal mining, and billion-dollar thefts across continents.
Interpol has announced the arrest of 1,209 suspected cybercriminals in a sweeping crackdown across Africa and the U.K., targeting online fraud, crypto scams, and illegal mining operations.
The international bust — dubbed Operation Serengeti 2.0 — ran from June through August, recovering $97.4 million and dismantling over 11,400 malicious infrastructures. Nearly 88,000 victims were identified.
In Zambia, authorities took down a massive crypto investment scam believed to have stolen $300 million from 65,000 victims lured by false promises of high-yield returns. In Angola, police shut down 25 illegal crypto mining centers, seizing $37 million worth of IT and mining equipment and detaining 60 Chinese nationals allegedly running the scheme.
The coordinated action involved investigators from 18 African nations and the United Kingdom, Interpol confirmed.
Global Crypto Crime on the Rise
The crackdown comes amid a surge in crypto-related crime worldwide. In May, Hong Kong police busted a cross-border syndicate that laundered $15 million through banks and crypto exchange shops. In July, the U.S. Department of Justice exposed North Korean operatives who posed as American tech workers to steal digital assets and sensitive company data.
According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, thieves stole $2.2 billion in crypto during the first half of 2025 — already surpassing 2024’s total. Losses could reach $4 billion by year-end, fueled by March’s record-breaking $1.5 billion Bybit hack, linked to North Korean state actors.
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