Alleged leaders of a large transnational Nigerian syndicate called the Black Axe were arrested in early morning raids in Cape Town on Tuesday.
We understand that six leaders of the Black Axe organised crime group’s Cape Town chapter were arrested in a co-ordinated operation involving the Hawks and US law-enforcement authorities.
A seventh member of the group, who is not part of the leadership of the organisation, was also arrested. It is believed an eighth person affiliated to the Black Axe organisation was also arrested in connection with a separate, but related, case.
The founder of the Black Axe “Cape Town Zone” was among those arrested, our sources said.
The group is believed to be behind hundreds of thousands of “romance scams”. These were allegedly perpetrated by members of the group who used dating sites to meet elderly men and women from around the world who were either widowed or divorced, then scam them out of their money.
