Interpol Arrests 5,811 Suspects, Seizes $293 Million in Crypto Crime Crackdown Across 97 Nations

According to Interpol's statement published on July 9, law enforcement agencies arrested 5,811 suspects and seized $293 million in illicit assets across 97 countries during Operation First Light, a four-month anti-fraud operation targeting crypto-linked money-laundering networks that ran from January 15 to April 30, 2026. The operation identified more than 142,000 victims worldwide, solved 23,715 cases, flagged 15,606 additional suspects, and targeted social engineering scams including romance fraud, business email compromise, and investment schemes.

Among the highest-profile cases, Thai police arrested suspects after uncovering a crypto-laundering operation where a 20-year-old suspect's wallet processed more than $122.5 million over a 10-month period. Separately, law enforcement in Singapore and Oman jointly blocked a $6.6 million transfer linked to a business email compromise scheme.