International law enforcement agencies have recently dealt a major blow to one of the world’s most dangerous criminal networks, known as Black Axe. In a coordinated effort led by the Spanish National Police and German authorities from Bavaria, with the help of Europol, officers arrested 34 people across Spain. Most of the arrests happened in Seville, but police also picked up suspects in Madrid, Málaga, and Barcelona.
Who is Black Axe?
Black Axe is not a new group. It started in West Africa, specifically Nigeria, and has grown into a massive organisation with roughly 30,000 members worldwide. They are known for being very organised, almost like a dark version of a big corporation, with leaders and strict rules. While they are involved in terrible crimes like human trafficking and armed robbery, they have become especially famous for online fraud.
According to Europol’s press release, these criminals use several tricks to steal money. This includes romance scams, where they trick people into thinking they are in a relationship to get money, and phishing, in which they send fake emails to steal login details. They also use business email compromise (BEC), which involves hacking into company emails to redirect payments to their own accounts.
Recruiting the Vulnerable
Further probing revealed that the group’s strategy in Spain was to target people in poor neighbourhoods with high unemployment. These individuals were recruited as money mules– a term for people who let criminals use their bank accounts to move stolen money, making it harder for the police to trace the original crime. Most of these recruits were Spanish locals used by the main group, which included ten Nigerian nationals.
The financial impact of this group is stunning. Authorities believe Black Axe makes billions of euros every year globally. In this specific Spanish case, the fraud caused nearly €6 million in losses. During the raids, police were able to freeze over €119,352 in bank accounts and grabbed more than €66,403 in cash.
By sharing intelligence and working across borders, Europol helped local police map out how this group operates. This teamwork is a crucial link in this operation because Black Axe usually hides its big crimes behind many small, local offenses to avoid getting caught.
“This strategy aims to disrupt the group’s operations and seize assets, addressing the challenges posed by the group’s dispersed small cases, cross-border activity, and the blurring of crimes into ‘ordinary’ local offences,” Europol stated in the press release.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
While these arrests are a massive win, it is important to clarify that the entire Black Axe organisation has not been shut down because they operate in dozens of countries. However, this operation has caused significant disruptions to their European activities. This event proves that if cybercriminals are hiding behind a screen thousands of miles away, the law is finding ways to catch up with them.