Six Nigerian nationals linked to an organized criminal network that allegedly swindled American women out of more than $۶m through online romance scams were extradited to the United States on Friday.
South African police confirmed they were to be extradited earlier on Friday, while local news in Africa confirmed that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, facilitated their handover to officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Secret Service at Cape Town international airport, in collaboration with Interpol South Africa.
The men, who were arrested in the South African city of Cape Town in ۲۰۲۱, face wire fraud and money laundering charges.
They are accused of belonging to a criminal network known as the Black Axe, which Interpol describes as being among criminal groups responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically through romance, cryptocurrency and investment scams.
According to South African police, the men are alleged to have targeted more than ۱۰۰ women in the US, defrauding them of more than $۶m through online romance or love scams.
Among the alleged victims were pensioners and businesspeople who were reportedly targeted through sophisticated online relationships.
“Through the coordination of Interpol South Africa, the six will today be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town international airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the FBI and the United States Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa this morning,” said police spokesperson Katlego Mogale.
A recent operation by Interpol targeting west African organized crime groups led to the arrest of ۵۸ people and the identification of ۲۶۳ suspects linked to various criminal networks involved in similar crimes, the multinational police body said last month.
The operation aimed to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets, and support arrests and prosecution.
In South Africa, authorities raided seven locations in the city of Johannesburg linked to a syndicate that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries.
In that operation in South Africa, police arrested ۳۹ people, seized $۲.۶۷m and froze more than ۲۵۰ bank accounts, Interpol said.
