Europol Arrests 34 Black Axe Members in Spain Over €5.9M Fraud and Organized Crime

Europol on Friday announced the arrest of 34 individuals in Spain who are alleged to be part of an international criminal organisation called Black Axe. As part of an operation conducted by the Spanish National Police, in coordination with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office and Europol, 28 arrests were made in Seville, along with three others in Madrid, two in Málaga, and one in Barcelona.

The criminal network is known for its involvement in a wide range of activities, including cyber-enabled fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking and prostitution, kidnapping, armed robbery and fraudulent spiritual practices, according to Europol. It’s estimated that the network is responsible for fraud resulting in damages exceeding €5.93 million. In addition to the arrests, authorities have frozen €119,352 in bank accounts and seized €66,403 in cash during house searches.

Black Axe is described as a hierarchical criminal group that originated in Nigeria in 1977 and had spread to dozens of countries, with about 30,000 registered members and additional affiliates.