Dubai Police have led a major international operation targeting transnational financial crime, resulting in the arrest of 276 suspects and the dismantling of nine criminal centres linked to investment fraud and virtual currency scams.
The operation, codenamed “Tri-Force Sentinel”, was carried out under the UAE Ministry of Interior in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Chinese Police. Authorities said it targeted three organised criminal syndicates operating across borders, with most of the suspects believed to be from Southeast Asian countries.
Officials said the network ran sophisticated fraud centres using advanced social engineering techniques and digital platforms to build trust with victims before defrauding them of large sums of money across multiple countries. The scams focused on high-yield investment fraud and cryptocurrency-related schemes.
Dubai Police coordinated the planning and execution of the operation, enabling real-time intelligence sharing between international partners and leading what authorities described as a synchronised crackdown on one of the fastest-growing forms of global financial crime.
As part of the operation, a key leader of one of the criminal syndicates was also arrested in Thailand in coordination with the Royal Thai Police.
The FBI said the operation highlighted the importance of international cooperation in disrupting large-scale fraud networks, while Chinese Police said joint action was essential in tackling cross-border telecom and financial crime. Dubai Police described the operation as part of its proactive approach to combating complex global fraud threats.
In a high-impact international crackdown on transnational organized financial crime, Dubai Police have carried out a coordinated global operation, codenamed “Tri-Force Sentinel”, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Chinese Police, leading to the… pic.twitter.com/B9iZbLUAVM
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) April 29, 2026
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