The International Criminal Police Organization, INTERPOL, has confirmed the arrest of a Nigerian national, identified as Ikechukwu N., by Argentine authorities. In an update shared on its official X handle on Tuesday, INTERPOL stated that Ikechukwu had been on its wanted list for allegedly coordinating several romance scams that defrauded thousands of women and for leading an international cybercrime network.
According to the agency, “Argentine authorities have apprehended Nigerian national Ikechukwu N., marking the country’s first arrest of a Red Notice fugitive who was also the subject of an INTERPOL Silver Notice. The suspect is accused of orchestrating numerous romance scams involving thousands of victims and heading a global cybercrime syndicate.”
INTERPOL noted that the arrest was part of Operation Jackal, a global operation launched in 2025 to assist countries in tracing and recovering proceeds of crime. The operation, carried out by Argentina’s Federal Police and Airport Security Police with support from IFCACC, FIS, and INTERPOL Brazil, specifically targets West African organized criminal groups.
The agency added that the Silver Notice pilot project, introduced in January 2025, was designed to help countries identify and recover assets linked to criminal activity.
This development follows a series of INTERPOL-led crackdowns on cybercrime networks originating from West Africa. Similar global efforts have recently resulted in arrests across Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia connected to related fraudulent schemes.
Earlier in August 2024, PUNCH Metro reported that Operation Jackal III led to the confiscation of $3 million in illicit assets and the freezing of over 700 bank accounts linked to the Black Axe mafia’s cybercrime operations. In another case reported in August 2025, a Nigerian man pleaded guilty in the United States to a romance scam worth over $405,000, highlighting the persistent nature of such schemes.
These incidents underscore a growing trend of transnational cybercrime driven by romance fraud and reaffirm INTERPOL’s ongoing commitment to dismantling such criminal networks worldwide.