German police have apprehended 11 suspected members of a Nigerian mafia group allegedly involved in a large-scale dating scam.
According to a statement by the Bavarian police on Wednesday, the Black Axe gang is implicated in various criminal activities internationally, with a particular focus on dating scams and money laundering in Germany.
Describing the dating scam as a “modern form of marriage fraud,” authorities explained that fraudsters, using false identities, would indicate their intention to marry and then repeatedly request money under various pretenses during further contact.
The funds would then be transferred to the Black Axe group in Nigeria through financial intermediaries.
In their operations, the gang employed a “commodity-based money laundering” technique, purchasing products with an apparent charitable purpose and shipping them to Nigeria.
Bavarian police noted that in 2023 alone, 450 cases of romance scamming were reported in the region, resulting in damages amounting to 5.3 million euros ($5.7 million).
The suspects, all Nigerian citizens aged between 29 and 53, were apprehended during nationwide raids on Tuesday. Law enforcement conducted searches at 19 locations, including residences and asylum shelters.
Police highlighted the strict hierarchical structures of the Black Axe gang, with leadership based in Nigeria overseeing different territorial units. The group reportedly wields significant influence in Nigerian politics and public administrations.
Globally, the gang is known to operate in human trafficking, fraud, money laundering, prostitution, and drug trafficking. Operating under the guise of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa, an ostensibly charitable organization, Black Axe utilized it as a “camouflage” for its criminal activities.
According to authorities, this operation against Black Axe marks the first of its kind in Germany.
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