BRUSSELS, April 28 (Reuters) – Suspected members of the Nigerian-linked Black Axe crime gang have been arrested in Switzerland accused of involvement in romance scams and cyberfraud, Europol said on Tuesday.
Black Axe grew out of a student fraternity in the late 1970s called the Neo Black Movement of Africa, and it has since evolved into a structured, violent criminal organisation often dealing in financial cybercrime.
“The suspects are accused of numerous crimes. This includes romance scams and other cyberfraud offences causing millions of Swiss francs in damages, as well as money laundering,” said Europol, which is headquartered in The Hague, in a statement.
The pan-European police body said 10 people – most of whom are of Nigerian origin – had been arrested in the operation that also involved German police.
The Swiss operation against the Black Axe crime gang follows a similar operation carried out by Spanish police in January, while global police body Interpol had also targeted it in 2023.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta;Editing by Alison Williams)
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