A major global cybercrime operation coordinated by INTERPOL has resulted in the recovery of $439 million in criminal proceeds, marking one of the most
A major global cybercrime operation coordinated by INTERPOL has resulted in the recovery of $439 million in criminal proceeds, marking one of the most successful crackdowns on transnational financial crime to date. The four-month sting, codenamed Operation HAECHI VI, involved the close cooperation of law enforcement agencies in 40 countries and was supported by the Republic of Korea.
The operation targeted a range of cyber-enabled financial crimes, with a specific focus on money laundering connected to illegal gambling, business email compromise, e-commerce fraud, and investment scams. The record recovery of funds is a significant victory for international law enforcement cooperation.
During the operation, which ran from April to August 2025, investigators from INTERPOL and its member countries worked together to trace and disrupt the flow of illicit funds. The coordinated effort led to the blocking of more than 68,000 related bank accounts and the freezing of approximately 400 cryptocurrency wallets and virtual asset accounts.
The global scale of the cybercrime targeted was vast. In one case, Portuguese authorities arrested 45 suspects for illegally appropriating social security funds. In another, the Royal Thai Police seized $6.6 million in assets linked to a complex business email compromise scam that had targeted a major Japanese corporation.
A key element in the success of the operation was the use of INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) system. This mechanism allows law enforcement to work with banks to quickly intercept fraudulent cross-border transactions before they are completed.
In one notable success, Korean National Police used the I-GRIP system to coordinate with authorities in the UAE, successfully intercepting and recovering $3.91 million in full that had been stolen from a Korean steel company. “ Global cooperation can protect financial systems and communities. We encourage more countries to join these efforts,” said Theos Badege, Acting Director of the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Corruption Centre.
Operation HAECHI VI is a powerful demonstration of how seriously international law enforcement is taking financial crime, including the vast sums of money that are laundered through illegal gambling platforms. The focus on cryptocurrency wallets and the success of tools like I-GRIP show that law enforcement capabilities are evolving to meet the challenges of the digital age. For the regulated gaming industry, this is a welcome crackdown on the black market. For illegal operators, it’s a clear warning that international law enforcement cooperation is making their cross-border operations increasingly risky.
