Six Nigerian fraud suspects arrive in US after Cape Town extradition

Alleged scheme targeted over 100 US women, including pensioners

The handover at Cape Town international airport on Friday concluded a multi-year legal process that began with the men’s arrest in the South African coastal city in 2021. South African police spokesperson Katlego Mogale said in a statement that “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.”

South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation — known as the Hawks — and Interpol South Africa coordinated the handover with the FBI and Secret Service. The men face federal wire fraud and money laundering charges in the United States.

Interpol describes Black Axe as among the criminal groups responsible for a significant share of the world’s cyber-enabled financial fraud, typically carried out through romance, cryptocurrency and investment scams. South African police have accused the six men specifically of running an online romance scheme that targeted American women.

According to South African police, the alleged victims numbered more than 100 American women, including pensioners and businesspeople, who were “targeted through sophisticated online relationships.” The losses attributed to the scheme exceeded $6 million, according to the same police accounts.

The handover comes as Interpol pursues operations targeting West African organized crime groups. The multinational police body said last month that a recent operation had led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across criminal networks involved in similar crimes.

That Interpol operation aimed to disrupt money laundering, identify high-value targets, seize assets, and support arrests and prosecution, the organization said.

In a related enforcement effort, South African authorities in Johannesburg raided seven locations linked to a separate syndicate that ran romance and investment scams targeting retirees in English-speaking countries. Police arrested 39 people, seized $2.67 million and froze more than 250 bank accounts in that operation, according to Interpol.

The men now face trial in U.S. federal court on the wire fraud and money laundering charges. The Guardian’s reporting did not specify the federal district or court date for the proceedings.