Figures from Interpol on a global operation targeting West African organized crime gangs, including the “prominent” Nigerian gang ‘Black Axe’, has shown that some 1 in 5 of the global arrests took place in Ireland.
Operation JACKAL, a global law enforcement operation, took place in 21 countries across six continents, and included An Garda Síochana in operations targeting the crime gangs. The Black Axe gang are classified by Interpol as one of the world’s main cyber crime gangs – but they also engage in arms smuggling and people trafficking.
Operation Jackal III, which ran from 10 April to 3 July, targeted online financial fraud and the West African syndicates behind it, Interpol said, with the annual operation resulting in some 300 arrests, the identification of over 400 additional suspects, and the blocking of more than 720 bank accounts.
Of those 300 arrests, a fifth were in Ireland, with gardaí arresting some 63 people over the course of 37 searches as part of the operation. 17 people have been charged – including six juveniles.
In March, Gript reported that “the leader of the Nigerian mafia-like ‘Black Axe’ gang in Ireland is a “major target” for gardaí who said that they were arresting members of the violent mob “every week” with an estimated 1,100 people linked to the organisation in Ireland.
The west African man, aged in his 50s with a house in Dublin, has built up a fortune as the leader of the Black Axe gang in Ireland. He’s understood to have over 70 ‘lieutenants’ working directly under him in Ireland as part of the gang’s vast network.
At that time, Detective Chief Superintendent Nigel Mulleady said that as of last June, gardaí had made 377 arrests related to the Black Axe gang – under the Irish contribution to the Interpol operation, named Operation Skein. Numerous Irish businesses have been victims of the scams, Gardaí said.
Gardaí believe that as well as direct members, over 4000 ‘money-mules’ – often students, who move illegally-gotten money through their accounts on the gang’s behalf in return for a payment – have been identified in Ireland.
While the gang is mostly focused on online fraud, including romance scams, there have reportedly been “a number of violent incidents linked to Black Axe in Ireland, including petrol bomb attacks”.
Gardaí also said that “well over €50m that has been stolen abroad” has been “laundered through bank accounts in Ireland” by cyber criminals.
In their July report , Isaac Oginni, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC) said:
“The volume of financial fraud stemming from West Africa is alarming and increasing. This operation’s results underscore the critical need for international law enforcement collaboration to combat these extensive criminal networks.
“By identifying suspects, recovering illicit funds and putting some of West Africa’s most dangerous organized crime leaders behind bars, we are able to weaken their influence and reduce their capacity to harm communities around the world.”
Interpol said that “Black Axe is one of the most prominent West African transnational organized crime syndicates, with operations in cyber fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent crimes both within Africa and globally”.
“In Argentina, Operation Jackal III saw the dismantling of a Nigerian-led transnational criminal network following a five-year investigation. The Federal Police seized USD 1.2 million in ‘supernotes’ – high quality counterfeit banknotes – arrested 72 suspects and froze approximately 100 bank accounts.”
“The network used money mules to open bank accounts worldwide and is now under investigation in over 40 countries for related money laundering activities. The suspects include citizens from Argentina, Colombia, Nigeria and Venezuela.”
“More than 160 fraud victims suffered significant financial losses, with some forced to sell their homes or take out large loans as a result.”
“By following illegal money trails worldwide, INTERPOL and the global police community ensure that no matter where these criminals try to hide, they will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice.”
“INTERPOL headquarters assisted countries by facilitating intelligence exchange and the identification and apprehension of suspects.”
“Operation Jackal III mobilized police forces, financial intelligence units, asset recovery offices, and private sector partners in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cote D’Ivoire, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.”
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