Ghana's Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), in collaboration with Europol, the UK NCA, and Chainalysis, recovered approximately $15.1 million in cryptocurrency from a Chinese-Malaysian organized crime group operating an e-commerce investment scam. The fraud lured victims in Ghana and the UK with promises of high returns from running online shops and earning points. The investigation began when OKX exchange reported suspicious activity to Europol, which then coordinated with UK and Ghanaian authorities. Using Chainalysis Reactor, investigators clustered blockchain addresses, revealing coordinated scam wallets holding 119.4 BTC, 93 ETH, and 2.85 million USDT. EOCO's administrative freeze powers allowed swift asset seizure before a court order was obtained. The recovered funds, now in a Ghanaian exhibit account, will be restituted to victims. This case represents a landmark in West African fraud enforcement, demonstrating the effectiveness of public-private partnerships and blockchain analytics. It highlights the need for agile legal frameworks and real-time collaboration to combat crypto-enabled fraud.

Key facts

• EOCO recovered $15.1 million from a Chinese-Malaysian organized crime group running an e-commerce scam.
• Investigation started with OKX reporting suspicious activity to Europol, leading to UK NCA and Ghana EOCO.
• Chainalysis Reactor clustered scam wallets holding 119.4 BTC, 93 ETH, and 2.85 million USDT.
• EOCO used administrative freeze powers to seize assets quickly before obtaining a court order.
• Recovered funds will be restituted to victims in Ghana and the UK.