Operation Serengeti III led to the arrest of 1,462 suspects and the recovery of 105 million dollars across Africa, according to international law enforcement officials. The joint effort ran between June 29 and August 31, 2026, targeting illicit online syndicates. Global cybersecurity firm cybersecurity provider Kaspersky worked alongside INTERPOL and national investigators from 20 African nations and the United States.
Operational Results Across Participating Nations
Investigators examined crimes totaling an estimated 385 million dollars in financial damages. In addition, field teams identified roughly 66,000 victims who suffered from ransomware, business email compromise, and digital extortion schemes. Across the participating territories, authorities took down approximately 11,000 malicious online networks involved in fraud offenses.
Specific regional actions produced notable results during the enforcement window. In Uganda, local officers dismantled two transnational rings and detained 365 foreign nationals linked to fake pension schemes. Meanwhile, authorities in Angola closed two unauthorized cryptocurrency mining centers and arrested nine suspects involved in operations.
Technical Intelligence and Threat Analysis
Technical intelligence supplied by private security researchers aided government investigators prior to field raids. Kaspersky experts analyzed command infrastructure, botnet nodes, distributed denial-of-service targets, and malicious links. Consequently, authorities located active criminal servers and tracked communication patterns used by fraud syndicates.
A major raid in Nigeria targeted a widespread phishing ring that harvested login credentials and collected about 2.1 million unique email addresses. Another inquiry in the same country halted an investment fraud ring operating through popular chat platforms and apps. These focused technical findings allowed regional police units to gather court-ready digital evidence swiftly.
Statements from Law Enforcement Leadership
Officials stated that cross-border cooperation remains essential for halting online criminal networks that target everyday users.
“Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale. Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm.”
Neal Jetton, Director of Cybercrime at INTERPOL
Kaspersky leadership also noted that no single organization can counter global fraud alone without active data sharing across regions.
“The borderless nature of cybercrime makes it impossible for a single organization or country to confront it on its own. This is why Kaspersky is actively cooperating with partners around the globe to share its deep knowledge of cyberthreats and is proud to be a regular contributor to INTERPOL-coordinated efforts and expand the fruitful record of joint operations year over year.”
Yuliya Shlychkova, Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Kaspersky
Future Inquiries Under Operation Serengeti III
National police services confirmed that multiple regional investigations started during the operation remain open today. Investigators are analyzing seized physical storage drives and tracing diverted monetary assets across the global economy. Furthermore, participating agencies expect additional arrests as forensic specialists finish reviewing technical evidence gathered during Operation Serengeti III.
