European law enforcement authorities have arrested 10 Nigerians as part of a major international operation targeting the notorious ‘Black Axe’ criminal network, with estimated fraud losses exceeding €5.93 million. The arrests were carried out in Spain and form part of a broader sweep that saw a total of 34 suspects detained in connection with the organised crime group.
The development was disclosed in an official statement published by Europol, which detailed the outcome of a coordinated cross-border operation involving Spanish and German security agencies. According to Europol, the action focused on dismantling what investigators described as the core leadership and financial facilitators of the Black Axe network operating across Europe.
The operation was led by the Spanish National Police, working closely with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office in Germany, with Europol providing analytical, intelligence, and operational support. Authorities said the investigation spanned several months and relied heavily on intelligence sharing, data analysis, and real-time coordination between the participating countries.
In its statement, Europol described Black Axe as a highly structured and hierarchical international criminal organisation with origins in Nigeria and an operational footprint across dozens of countries worldwide. The agency said the group is involved in a broad spectrum of criminal activities, including cyber-enabled fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping, armed robbery, and fraudulent spiritual practices.
“The Spanish National Police, in close cooperation with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office and with the support of Europol, has conducted an operation against the international criminal organisation ‘Black Axe’,” Europol said. “The action resulted in 34 arrests and significant disruption to the group’s activities. The core group of arrested suspects consists of 10 individuals of Nigerian nationality.”
Investigators revealed that the arrests were concentrated in southern and central Spain. Twenty-eight suspects were detained in Seville, while others were apprehended in Madrid, Málaga, and Barcelona. During coordinated house searches, law enforcement officers froze €119,352 held in bank accounts and seized €66,403 in cash believed to be linked to the group’s criminal proceeds.
Europol said the Black Axe network generated billions of euros annually through numerous small-scale but highly organised fraud schemes. While individual scams often involved relatively modest sums, the cumulative impact caused significant financial harm to victims across Europe and beyond.
Further details from the agency highlighted the group’s heavy reliance on so-called money mules. These individuals, often recruited from economically vulnerable communities with high unemployment rates, were used to move illicit funds and obscure the origins of fraud proceeds. Europol noted that many of the money mules involved in this case were Spanish nationals who were exploited by the criminal network to funnel illegal funds through legitimate-looking local transactions.
The cross-border operation also involved the deployment of German officers to Spain during the action phase, underscoring the level of cooperation required to dismantle a fragmented and transnational criminal structure. Europol said it supported the investigation through advanced information analysis, a dedicated data sprint held in Madrid, and real-time coordination between national authorities during the arrests.
Providing historical context, Europol linked Black Axe to the Neo-Black Movement of Africa, noting that the group operates through a zonal structure both within Nigeria and internationally. According to the agency, the organisation has thousands of registered members and affiliated facilitators worldwide, making it one of the most complex and resilient criminal networks operating across borders.
The latest crackdown is part of a broader global effort to curb the activities of Black Axe and similar transnational groups. In a major coordinated operation led by Interpol between April and July 2024, more than 300 individuals linked to the Nigerian-founded network were arrested across 21 countries. That operation, codenamed Jackal III, exposed the group’s extensive use of cybercrime tools and cryptocurrency for money laundering.
Earlier enforcement actions have also yielded significant results. In November 2023, Irish authorities seized over €1 million in crypto-assets, confiscated more than $3 million in other illegal proceeds, and froze over 700 bank accounts tied to the network. According to Europol, these cumulative efforts have helped law enforcement agencies build a shared intelligence database across Interpol’s 196 member countries.
Europol said the latest operation was designed to weaken Black Axe by disrupting its leadership, dismantling its financial networks, and seizing criminal assets. Authorities stressed that sustained international cooperation remains critical, given the group’s ability to adapt quickly and exploit jurisdictional gaps. As investigations continue, further arrests and asset seizures are expected as European and global agencies intensify pressure on the network’s remaining cells.
Emmanuel Bassey is a Financial Expert that has worked in the Banking and Finance Industry for over 15+ years across different banks in Nigeria
