A big action by Interpol has led to the arrest of 300 people connected to the Black Axe, a crime group that started in Nigeria but now operates worldwide.
According to the BBC, these arrests happened during Interpol’s Operation Jackal III, from April to July 2024, across 21 countries..
Tomonobu Kaya, a high-ranking Interpol official, said the group uses new technology very well.
“They are very organized and good with new technology. Many fintech developments make it easy for them to move money illegally around the world,” he said.
Because Black Axe is good with technology, they are hard to catch on a global level.
Operation Jackal III
Interpol’s Jackal Operations started in Ireland and have revealed much about Black Axe’s activities, including their use of cybercrime and cryptocurrency.
Interpol calls this operation a major success, bringing together law enforcement from around the world to fight Black Axe’s network.
In November 2023, Irish police found over €1 million in cryptocurrencies linked to Black Axe. They also took $3 million in illegal assets and froze 700 bank accounts.
The information from these actions has helped arrest many Black Axe members and gather key intelligence for a shared database among Interpol’s 196 member countries.
This shared intelligence is important for understanding and fighting the criminal tactics used by Black Axe and other similar groups.
However, experts like Dr. Oluwole Ojewale from the Institute for Security Studies say prevention should be the main focus.
“We should focus on stopping these problems before they start, not just on catching the criminals. Politicians are often the ones arming these groups. The lack of good governance is pushing people towards groups like Black Axe,” said Dr. Ojewale.
Black Axe
Black Axe started as a group at the University of Benin in Nigeria to promote African culture and arts. Over time, it turned into a global crime group involved in things like cybercrime and financial fraud.
Interpol says Black Axe is behind many of the world’s cyber-financial crimes. For example, in 2017, Canadian authorities found a $5 billion money-laundering scheme linked to them.