European law enforcement authorities have arrested 34 people in Spain over their alleged links to Black Axe, a transnational criminal organization long associated with cyber crime and other serious offenses.
Europol said the arrests followed a coordinated operation led by the Spanish National Police, with support from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office in Germany and Europol. Most of the suspects were detained in Seville, while additional arrests took place in Madrid, Málaga, and Barcelona.
According to investigators, the network is believed to be involved in a broad range of criminal activities. These include cyber-enabled fraud, drug and human trafficking, prostitution rings, kidnappings, armed robberies, and schemes tied to fraudulent spiritual practices.
Authorities estimate that the group caused financial losses of more than €5.9 million. During the operation, police also froze over €119,000 in bank accounts and seized more than €66,000 in cash during searches of multiple properties.
Black Axe is described by law enforcement as a highly structured organization that originated in Nigeria in the late 1970s before expanding internationally. Investigators believe the group has tens of thousands of members worldwide, supported by a wider network of facilitators and money mules who help move and launder illicit funds.
The group has been on the radar of global police agencies for years. In late 2022, INTERPOL announced the arrest of 75 suspects linked to the syndicate as part of Operation Jackal, a multinational crackdown on large-scale fraud schemes.
Black Axe has repeatedly been tied to cyber-related financial crimes, including business email compromise, romance and inheritance scams, credit card and tax fraud, advance-fee schemes, and complex money-laundering operations. These online crimes often fund or overlap with the group’s offline criminal activities.
More recently, INTERPOL revealed that follow-up operations in 2024 led to the seizure of over $5 million in assets, including cryptocurrencies and luxury goods. Those efforts resulted in more than 400 arrests and the identification of thousands of additional suspects worldwide.
Law enforcement agencies continue to describe Black Axe as one of the most active and dangerous West African–origin organized crime groups, with a global footprint that spans cyber fraud, trafficking, drug smuggling, and violent crime.