Hawks to aid extradition of 6 Nigerians over alleged R100m romance scams in US - EWN

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) - Hawks - will facilitate the extradition of six Nigerian nationals to the United States (US) on Friday afternoon.

The six men are alleged to be members of the black axe organised criminal network. They were arrested in South Africa in 2021, following a major takedown operation.

Moreover, US authorities want the men in connection with charges of fraud and money laundering linked to romance scams. It is understood they targeted more than 100 women in the US, allegedly defrauding them of more than R100 million. The Hawks’ spokesperson, Katlego Mogale, said that some of the victims were pensioners targeted through sophisticated online relationships. "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 (FBI) and the United States Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa this morning.”

Mogale added: “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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