Hawks and Interpol facilitate extradition of six Nigerian nationals

The six suspects were wanted in the US for online love scams that targeted more than a 100 women

Hawks and Interpol facilitate extradition of six Nigerian nationals
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, in collaboration with Interpol South Africa, will facilitate the extradition of six Nigerian nationals to the United States of America.
The six men are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network and are wanted by the US authorities in connection with charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
The suspects are alleged to have targeted more than 100 women in the United States, defrauding them of more than R100 million through online romance or love scams.
Among the alleged victims were pensioners and business people who were reportedly targeted through sophisticated online relationships used to defraud them of their money.
The six Nigerian nationals were arrested in South Africa in 2021, following a major takedown operation conducted by the Hawks/DPCI.
Through the coordination of Interpol South Africa, the six will on Friday 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 (FBI) and the United States Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa on Friday morning.
The formal handover is expected to take place on Friday afternoon.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale says, “This extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and international law enforcement partners in disrupting transnational organised crime and ensuring that suspects wanted in other jurisdictions face due legal process.”

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