The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has pledged to intensify efforts to disrupt organised criminal networks and cut off their financial operations across West Africa.

INTERPOL’s Director of the Financial Crime Centre, Tomonobu Kaya, said the organisation is targeting the illicit financial flows that sustain organised crime in the region.

In a statement, Kaya said the campaign is being carried out through Operation Jackal IV, an eight-month cross-border operation focused on tracking and disrupting criminal financial networks.

According to him, the operation follows money trails across multiple countries to make it harder for criminal groups to profit from illegal activities.

“By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities,” Kaya said.

He added that the operation has also focused on online scams, many of which target retirees in English-speaking countries.

Kaya said INTERPOL has supported participating countries through intelligence sharing, cross-border coordination and joint investigations.

The organisation also provided specialised training to law enforcement agencies to strengthen money laundering investigations and improve the capacity of participating countries to tackle financial crime.