Six Nigerian nationals accused of defrauding more than 100 women in the United States through online romance scams have been extradited from South Africa to the US.
The suspects, who were arrested in South Africa in 2021, are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organized criminal network and are wanted by US authorities over alleged wire fraud and money laundering.
The South African Police Service, SAPS, announced the extradition in a post on X on Friday, saying the suspects were handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service at Cape Town International Airport.
“The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation commonly known as the Hawks, in collaboration with INTERPOL South Africa, will today facilitate the extradition of six Nigerian nationals to the United States of America,” SAPS said.
According to SAPS, the men allegedly defrauded their victims of more than R100 million through online romance and love scams.
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The Hawks, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, said the suspects were transferred from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they were handed over to the US authorities.
Eye Witness News quoted Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, as saying the extradition was coordinated through INTERPOL South Africa.
“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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service,” Mogale said.
Mogale said the extradition demonstrated continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and their international counterparts in tackling transnational organized crime.
“This extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and international law enforcement partners in disrupting transnational organized crime and ensuring that suspects wanted in other jurisdictions face due legal process,” he said.
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