Within the scope of Operation First Light 2026, which was carried out in 97 countries and regions under the coordination of Interpol, a large-scale operation was organized against fraud and money laundering. According to the information shared by the institution, 5 thousand 811 people were detained, 293 million dollars of illegal assets were seized and more than 142 thousand victims were identified during the four-month study.
$122.5 million crypto movement on file in Thailand
In one of the prominent cases, Thai police detained two people. Interpol announced that more than $122.5 million in assets passed through the cryptocurrency wallet controlled by a 20-year-old suspect in 10 months. Authorities stated that this money was used to launder the proceeds from victims who were deceived by online emotional dating methods.
The investigation noted that the suspects converted the money into different crypto assets and exchanged tokens between blockchains to make tracking more difficult. It was stated that with this method, an attempt was made to hide to which address and via which network the funds were transferred.
Mini dictionary: Cross chain swap is the process of converting or moving a digital asset between different blockchain networks. Although this structure has legitimate uses, fast and multi-layered transfers can make it difficult to follow the money trail in investigations.
Interpol announced that criminal networks are making rapid token swaps between different blockchains and circulating crypto assets in multiple stages to disguise funds.
More than 31 thousand accounts were blocked in four months
The operation lasted from mid-January to the end of April. Interpol reported that 31,014 bank accounts were blocked in this process, more than 152,000 cases were examined, and the payment interception tool called I-GRIP was used to monitor both traditional money transfers and virtual asset flows. Interpol supported investigations with this system, which aims to quickly stop the movement of crime proceeds between member countries.
| Indicator | Data |
|---|---|
| Scope of operation | 97 countries and regions |
| Number of detentions | 5,811 |
| seized asset | $293 million |
| Identified victim | more than 142 thousand |
| blocked account | 31,014 |
Tomonobu Kaya, Head of Interpol Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Center, emphasized that criminal organizations direct their targets by using human psychology and that no country can remain safe alone.
Cross-border crackdown on crypto scams escalates
Interpol assesses that crypto-related fraud is now central to a vast transnational criminal network. At its general assembly held in Marrakech, the institution approved a resolution defining these structures as a transnational crime threat. According to the statement, these networks use a combination of human trafficking, online deception methods and digital asset transfers.
United Nations investigators estimate that such setups generated tens of billions of dollars in revenue between 2020 and 2024. It has been pointed out that many structures run from sheltered facilities in Southeast Asia utilize forced labor. Thailand, on the other hand, is at the forefront of investigations due to its location close to the borders of Myanmar and Cambodia.
Blockchain analysis company Chainalysis calculated that the flow of money entering crypto fraud has accelerated in 2025, with the average fraud payment increasing to $2,764. The company pointed out that artificial intelligence-supported methods, phishing tools and layered money laundering networks were effective in this increase.
