Spanish police disrupt Black Axe, arrest alleged leaders in action spanning four cities

The criminal organization specialized in business email compromise scams and generated billions of dollars in criminal proceeds annually from many small-scale operations, officials said.

Authorities arrested 34 alleged cybercriminals in Spain, including some leaders of Black Axe, a transnational criminal organization responsible for adversary-in-the-middle scams such as business email compromise, money laundering and vehicle trafficking, the Spanish National Police said Friday.

A coordinated law enforcement operation that fanned out to Seville, Madrid, Malaga and Barcelona significantly disrupted the group’s activities, according to Europol, which supported the takedown alongside officers from Germany.

Officials targeted the organized crime network’s leadership and froze $139,000 in bank accounts. Police also seized $77,000 in cash, five vehicles and devices allegedly used for criminal activity.

Europol described Black Axe as a highly structured, hierarchical group that generates billions of dollars in criminal proceeds annually from many small-scale operations spanning dozens of countries. The group’s leaders, including 10 people arrested last week, are Nigerian nationals, authorities said. 

The Spanish National Police began investigating the group, which specializes in corporate fraud through business email compromise, in September 2023. Black Axe used an extensive network to conceal their money and recruited money mules throughout Europe to receive, transfer and withdraw funds from the scams, officials said. 

The group also allegedly established shell companies to acquire vehicles and then deliberately defaulted on payments before renting or selling the vehicles. Europol investigators estimate Black Axe is responsible for more than $6.9 million in fraud. 

Black Axe was involved in other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human trafficking and prostitution, kidnapping and armed robbery, officials said. 

The Spanish National Police said four of Black Axe’s main leaders remain in custody and face charges for aggravated fraud, membership in a criminal organization, money laundering, document forgery and obstruction of justice.

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