Interpol Seizes $439M in Global Cybercrime Crackdown

Operation HAECHI VI represents one of Interpol’s most extensive financial crime initiatives to date. Spanning 40 jurisdictions with financial backing from South Korea, the operation focused on seven specific types of cybercrime: investment fraud, money laundering, phishing, romance scams, sextortion, e-commerce fraud, and illegal gambling. The sheer volume of assets seized—$439 million—highlights the profitability of these illicit activities. A significant portion, $97 million, was identified as cryptocurrencies and physical assets, demonstrating the central role digital currencies now play in criminal finance. The operation’s tangible impact is clear in cases like the one in Portugal, where 45 suspects were arrested for misappropriating $270,000 in social security payments from over 530 vulnerable families.

The tactical execution involved a dual-pronged approach targeting both traditional and digital finance. Law enforcement agencies successfully blocked more than 68,000 bank accounts, crippling the fiat-based infrastructure used by criminals. Simultaneously, they froze nearly 400 cryptocurrency wallets, from which $16 million in digital assets like BTC, ETH, and USDT was directly recovered. This demonstrates a growing proficiency among global agencies in tracing and seizing crypto assets, which are often perceived as anonymous. Theos Badege of Interpol emphasized that the operation is “a prime example of how global cooperation can protect communities and safeguard financial systems,” encouraging more member countries to join the collective effort.

Experts from leading blockchain intelligence firms point to Operation HAECHI VI as part of a necessary and accelerating trend. Ari Redbord, Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs, stated that “the reality is that no single agency or jurisdiction can take on this challenge alone.” He describes the operation as evidence of “a broader trend toward deeper cooperation” between nations and between the public and private sectors. This sentiment is echoed by Phil Larratt, Director of Investigations at Chainalysis, who notes that greater international police cooperation is a direct response to how cryptocurrencies enable criminals to move money across borders with unprecedented speed.

Recent successes beyond HAECHI VI prove the model’s effectiveness. Larratt cited Operation Destabilise, a joint effort led by the UK’s National Crime Agency with partners in France and the United States, which dismantled a major Russian money laundering network. Announced in December, that operation resulted in 84 arrests and the seizure of roughly $25.5 million in cryptocurrency—a feat Larratt says “would not have been possible without cross-border cooperation.” These outcomes, he adds, “are only possible when governments, regulators and private companies share intelligence and act together.”

Despite these successes, the challenge is growing in scale and sophistication. Phil Larratt revealed that illicit crypto flows were worth an estimated $40.9 billion last year, a stark indicator of how “attractive” digital assets have become to criminals. Ari Redbord elaborated on the methods, explaining that “Criminal networks have become increasingly sophisticated in moving funds across borders, using chains of shell companies, nested exchanges, and new payment technologies to obscure flows.” This urgency is driving the push for enhanced international cooperation and capacity-building among law enforcement agencies.

The fight is far from over. As criminals quickly adopt new technologies, the demand for advanced investigative tools and specialized training intensifies. Larratt concluded that “Investigators worldwide must have the right tools, training and data to keep pace. Only then can we disrupt illicit networks and reduce and even prevent the harm they cause.” The success of operations like HAECHI VI and Destabilise provides a blueprint, but they also serve as a reminder that sustained, globally coordinated action is essential to counter the borderless nature of modern financial crime.