Interpol seized $97 million worth of cryptocurrency and physical assets in a transnational crackdown

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has seized $439 million in criminal proceeds during a coordinated operation spanning 40 jurisdictions, including $97 million in cryptocurrency and physical assets. The "HAECHI VI" operation took place from April to August and focused on combating seven types of cybercrime, including investment fraud, money laundering, phishing, romance scams, and e-commerce fraud.

As part of the coordinated action, law enforcement agencies blocked over 68,000 bank accounts, froze nearly 400 cryptocurrency wallets, and recovered $16 million from seized digital asset wallets. Among the specific crimes targeted by Interpol was a large-scale fraud case in Portugal, where 45 suspects were arrested for allegedly misappropriating social security funds from vulnerable families, stealing a total of $270,000 from 531 victims.