INTERPOL’s Operation HAECHI VI Recovers $439 Million in Global Crackdown on Laundering Networks

Money laundering continues to serve as the concealed engine behind most financial crime.

Without the ability to clean illicit funds and reintroduce them into legitimate circulation, fraud rings and organized crime groups would be unable to sustain themselves. Operation HAECHI VI, coordinated by INTERPOL from April through August 2025, stands as one of the most comprehensive case studies of how laundering underpins cyber-enabled financial crime. The initiative drew participation from more than 40 nations, resulting in the recovery of USD 342 million in government-backed currencies and an additional USD 97 million in both physical and digital assets. The findings underscored how transnational crime networks rely on laundering pipelines to fuel operations spanning illegal gambling, romance fraud, voice phishing, and business email compromise.

Cyber-Enabled Laundering as the New Normal

The laundering techniques exposed during the operation were varied, but all reflected a shift toward digital ecosystems. Criminals relied on cryptocurrency wallets, electronic banking portals, offshore accounts, and fraudulent digital identities to build a highly adaptable framework for moving illicit cash. Investigators succeeded in freezing nearly 400 cryptocurrency wallets and blocking more than 68,000 bank accounts—a vivid illustration of both the reach of modern laundering and the weaknesses in global oversight systems. For compliance officers, the message is clear: “fraud and laundering are now inseparable and must be treated as part of one risk continuum.”

Country Cases Reveal Diverse Laundering Models

Details emerging from participating jurisdictions highlight the breadth of laundering typologies at play. In Portugal, criminals constructed interconnected groups that siphoned social security benefits intended for vulnerable households. By manipulating bank account information inside government platforms, they redirected EUR 228,000 away from 531 victims, layering the stolen funds through domestic and cross-border accounts. This evolution reflects a move away from one-off fraud toward structured laundering systems specifically designed to obscure origins and ownership.

In Thailand, authorities disrupted a network involving Thai and West African nationals who had carried out a business email compromise scheme against a Japanese company. The USD 6.6 million taken was routed through shell accounts in Bangkok, with plans to cycle it into purported trading firms. Rapid intervention prevented deeper layering, but the architecture revealed how hybrid groups now blend fraud expertise with dedicated laundering professionals.

Elsewhere, the Korean National Police, working alongside counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, stopped a transfer of USD 3.91 million stolen from a Korean steel company deceived into wiring money to Dubai. The criminals sought to legitimize the transaction using forged shipping paperwork, showcasing how trade-based laundering mechanisms are increasingly tied to cyber-fraud schemes. Although the integration stage was stopped, the episode demonstrated the vulnerability of international financial institutions when confronted with falsified trade documents.

In the Philippines, offshore gaming operators (POGOs) once again surfaced as major laundering conduits. Investigators linked online betting platforms to fraudulent transfers disguised as gaming revenue. The schemes involved betting accounts, cash-out services, and e-wallets tied to loosely regulated operators. “This remains a persistent concern across Asia,” analysts noted, with risks amplified by cross-border gaming flows and regulatory blind spots.

Other examples further broadened the picture. In Macao, impersonation scams on digital payment apps pushed funds through a chain of accounts before being withdrawn via local operators. In Malaysia, police seized laptops and SIM cards from a syndicate routing fraud proceeds through online remittance networks. Brazilian authorities disrupted electronic banking schemes where illicit cash was funneled into straw accounts, then dispersed across fintech wallets to evade detection. Collectively, these cases make clear that laundering is not incidental but integral to organized crime’s business model.

Enforcement Tools and Global Coordination

Operation HAECHI VI emphasized how law enforcement is embedding anti-money laundering (AML) frameworks directly into cybercrime probes. A central feature was the I-GRIP mechanism, introduced by INTERPOL in 2022, which provides a rapid stop-payment channel across borders. Unlike traditional asset recovery approaches that take months, I-GRIP enables real-time interception of stolen funds—a necessity in a world where illicit transfers move across continents in seconds.

The model reflects a wider recognition that financial crime cannot be investigated in silos.

Officers now require both AML knowledge and cyber-forensic expertise, while banks and payment providers must deliver swift intelligence on suspect transactions. The freezing of 400 cryptocurrency wallets highlighted the value of close cooperation between regulators, exchanges, and law enforcement in shutting down laundering once considered unreachable.

Equally vital was the multinational exchange of intelligence. Countries as varied as Brazil, Germany, Ghana, and the United States contributed, giving investigators visibility into laundering flows spanning banking networks, crypto platforms, and gambling hubs. While no single nation has the power to police digital laundering alone, “joint operations show that global disruption is possible when information flows are rapid and aligned with AML red-flag indicators.”

For many nations, the benefits extended beyond immediate asset recovery. Developing economies gained exposure to international cooperation tools, while established financial centers absorbed intelligence on laundering strategies emerging from less-regulated jurisdictions. This sharing of expertise enhanced the collective ability to identify patterns, sharpen red-flag systems, and close regulatory gaps.

Compliance Implications for the Private Sector

The cases revealed by HAECHI VI carry direct lessons for compliance departments worldwide. Typologies such as romance scams or investment fraud may appear outside AML responsibilities, but once proceeds are laundered, banks, fintechs, and payment platforms become implicated. Institutions must recalibrate monitoring to detect indicators of cyber-laundering, from unusual gaming-linked account openings and clusters of small transfers to crypto exchanges, to outbound wires accompanied by falsified trade documents.

Supervisors also face pressure to tighten oversight on repeatedly exploited sectors.

Philippine offshore gaming, unregulated trading portals, and weakly monitored e-commerce channels are all systemic vulnerabilities. The operation shows these cracks are exploited on a scale measured in hundreds of millions of dollars. Regulators across Asia, Europe, and Latin America may adopt lessons from HAECHI VI, particularly the fusion of AML recovery methods with cross-border fraud response.

For compliance leaders, the clear takeaway is convergence: anti-fraud and AML programs must no longer operate in silos. “Separating the two creates blind spots where criminals can hide.” The cross-border seizures prove that firms with strong monitoring and rapid escalation protocols can play a decisive role in halting illicit flows. The broader war on laundering now depends on banks, fintechs, and regulators functioning as a connected ecosystem—mirroring the networks criminals themselves exploit.

Financial institutions should also expect closer scrutiny after such a high-profile operation.

Regulators are likely to demand more tangible evidence that firms can prevent, detect, and report laundering linked to cyber-enabled scams. This will require refined risk assessments, upgraded surveillance systems, and specialized staff training. As experts note, “for global AML practitioners, HAECHI VI represents a warning and an opportunity: criminals are expanding their laundering networks, but international coordination is proving more effective at intercepting them.” 

By fLEXI tEAM