A sweeping cybercrime operation coordinated by INTERPOL has led to the arrest of over 1,200 suspects and the seizure of nearly $100 million, targeting illegal crypto & bitcoin mining and online fraud networks across 18 African countries.
Operation targets bitcoin-related crime
Operation Serengeti 2.0, which spanned three months, disrupted online fraud, ransomware, and illegal mining activities, impacting almost 88,000 victims.
Investigators uncovered 11,432 malicious infrastructures involved in business email compromise, ransomware, and investment fraud schemes.
Major arrests and bitcoin mining seizures
In Angola, authorities shut down 25 illicit mining centers run by 60 Chinese nationals and seized 45 unauthorized power stations fueling the operations.
Confiscated mining and IT equipment was valued at over $37 million.
Officials plan to redirect the seized power assets to bolster electricity supplies in vulnerable communities.
Zambia
Meanwhile, Zambian police dismantled a large-scale online investment fraud that lured over 65,000 individuals into fraudulent crypto platforms, resulting in estimated losses of $300 million.
Police arrested 15 suspects, seized forged documents, and froze related bank accounts.
In a separate raid, officers disrupted a human trafficking ring, confiscating 372 counterfeit passports.
International collaboration and prevention efforts
The crackdown followed months of intelligence sharing between INTERPOL and private-sector cybersecurity firms.
Officers received training in bitcoin tracking, open-source intelligence, and ransomware analysis.
INTERPOL highlighted the importance of coordinated enforcement:
“The operation reflects a growing global push to tackle cybercrime through coordinated enforcement and prevention.”
A new partnership with the International Cyber Offender Prevention Network now includes 36 countries working to detect threats before criminal activity escalates.
Authorities stated that further investigations into transnational financial networks are ongoing.
