The German police announced on Wednesday that they have apprehended eleven individuals believed to be part of a Nigerian criminal group called the Black Axe, in a series of countrywide raids, as reported by DW.
All 11 suspects are Nigerian nationals who have been residing in Germany for a significant period of time. They are allegedly responsible for running dating websites where they deceive victims with promises of marriage and then defraud them.
Authorities have stated that the gang collaborated with scammers who sent them money in Nigeria, acting as "financial agents".
The crackdown, which encompassed 19 properties, is part of Germany’s effort to dismantle widespread dating scams and money laundering activities in the country.
This recent crackdown follows the apprehension of two Nigerian men and a Thai woman in Phuket’s Thalang district two months ago, for their purported involvement in a romance scam.
In addition to the arrests, law enforcement confiscated 50 sachets of cocaine and a digital scale from a property.
Furthermore, Europol revealed that between December 7 and 9, 2023, it arrested 16 people in an international operation targeting Nigerian criminals involved in drug smuggling, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, and money laundering in the EU and beyond.
The operation involved law enforcement agencies from Europe, Africa, South America, and North America.
