Interpol has announced that the organization was able to track down and apprehend the suspected leader of a transnational cybercrime syndicate. The 37-year-old individual was arrested in Nigeria and is believed to have lead major phishing campaigns, business email compromise schemes, and other malicious behavior that targeted companies and individuals. The operation was conducted by Inerpol’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime, a recently established branch within the organization’s cybercrime directorate.

The organization was launched in May of 2021 with the goal of empowering 49 different African countries to fight cybercrime. The police operation commenced last May in collaboration with private sector partners including Group-IB, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, and Trend Micro. The professionals gathered intel on criminal activities and supplied it to the Africa desk, which also worked with police forces from Canada, Australia, and the US to track the activities. The information ultimately led to the arrest in Nigeria.

Read More: Multi-Continental Operation Leads to Arrest of Cybercrime Gang Leader