Interpol Arrests Over 1,000 Cyber Crime Suspects In Africa

KEY POINTS

• Interpol arrested over 1,000 people linked to cybercrime in Africa.
• Turai and its actions extended to 19 countries with Ghana in focus representing major cybersecurity threats.
• Operation Drift seeks to target and prosecute coordinated cybercrime.

In a bid to curb cybercrime in Africa, the international police organisation Interpol has arrested over 1000 suspects of different sorts of crimes that they commit over the internet. The raids that occurred in 19 African countries were a part of a global policing operation known as Operation Drift whose aim was to track down well-organized cyber criminal groups.

Africa records its biggest crackdown that leads to the arrest of more than one thousand cyber criminals

This was a complex and protracted exercise that aimed at the disruption of various cybercrime groups that engage in an array of unlawful activities on cyberspace: financial scams, identity theft, phishing, and cyber scams. The suspects have been arrested in various countries, with the most frequent collaboration with Ghana that has arrested the highest number of suspects. Other countries involved are Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt among others. 

Interpol’s Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh, stressed the significance of this operation, pointing to the that the expansive nature of the arrests demonstrate the escalating threat of cybercrime in Africa. “It is a transnational phenomenon but what this operation reveals are specific and emerging threats from cyber criminals in Africa,” Kavanagh further explained. 

Ghana is at the forefront of the cyber crime fighting force by Interpol

Specifically, Ghana was one of the leaders in the crackdown and made a huge contribution to the arrests. In recent years the country has suffered from high incidence of cyber crime and this has made it possible to use it as the base for the operation. Interpol activities in Ghana fall within this global operation aimed at improving national cybersecurity systems as well as disassembling local groups that support internet scams and hacking. 

The authorities in Ghana have been in collaboration with Interpol and other global allies in enhancing the country’s cybercrime laws and the means of implementing them. The arrests made in Ghana involving both local and international parties, are considered to be a step closer to put an end to cybercrimes and eventual related cases in the country.

The “Drift” operation carried out by Interpol targets the largest cybercrime centers in Africa

Launched in November 2020, Operation Drift forms part of Interpol’s continuous battle against cybercrimes globally. Apart from arrests, the operation also entailed the freezing of illicit cash, stolen identification data, and the implements with which cyber criminals conduct their business. The initiative comes at the time when African countries are experiencing more and more cybercrime incidents and actively participate in international cyberspace protection.

Interpol’s focus on fighting cybercrime in Africa is just a niche initiative that seeks to ensure the safety of funds created through digital commerce, prevent financial crimes, and protect Personal Information. The operation also highlights the need to collaborate across borders in the fight against cybercrime as most of these crimes cut across boundaries.

Finally, the apprehension of over 100 African suspects symbolize a great success of police forces in their recent campaign known as Operation Drift. The operation marks an increasing interest in countering cyber criminal related activities and minimizing the loss of citizens and business in the continent.