The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), working closely with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt) and with support from Europol, has carried out an operation targeting the international criminal organization known as Black Axe.
Black Axe is a highly structured, hierarchical group that originated in Nigeria and has a presence in dozens of countries worldwide.
The network is suspected of being involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including cyber-enabled fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking and prostitution, kidnapping, armed robbery, and fraudulent spiritual practices.
In total, 34 people were arrested in Spain: 28 in Seville, three in Madrid, two in Málaga, and one in Barcelona. Investigators believe the network is responsible for fraud resulting in losses of more than €5,93 million. During the operation, authorities froze €119,352 in bank accounts and seized €66,403 in cash during house searches.
Europol played a key role by helping map the group’s structure in multiple countries, centralizing information, sharing intelligence packages, and supporting coordinated national investigations.