Interpol coordinates crackdown on illegal Angola-based crypto miners
Interpol has coordinated a multi-country cybercrime operation that targeted illicit cryptocurrency activity in Africa, leading to more than a thousand arrests and the recovery of nearly $100 million in assets.
As part of the operation, Angolan authorities — working with Interpol — dismantled 25 illegal crypto-mining facilities. The raids reportedly involved 60 Chinese nationals and resulted in the confiscation of mining equipment valued at more than $37 million; Angolan officials said some of that equipment will be redistributed to "vulnerable areas."
The broader enforcement effort across the continent yielded the arrest of 1,209 people and the recovery of roughly $97 million, according to the announcement. In a related case, Zambian authorities uncovered a large fraud scheme that allegedly defrauded about 65,000 victims of roughly $300 million through promises of high-yield crypto returns.
Angola implemented a ban on cryptocurrency mining in April 2024 amid concerns over the strain mining places on the country’s power grid. Although owning or using digital assets is not broadly illegal in Angola, the mining ban criminalizes mining activity and the possession of equipment used for mining, with penalties reported to include one to five years’ imprisonment and confiscation of gear.
Authorities and observers have framed the crackdown as part of a growing trend in which nations restrict or prohibit mining to protect electricity supplies and prevent illegal siphoning of power. The Angola actions were presented by Interpol as one element of coordinated efforts to dismantle cybercrime networks and related infrastructure across the region.
