Crouch added: "The FBI has a global footprint and will use every resource available to protect the American people. "Foreign nationals who think they can hide in another country or in cyberspace while preying on our citizens need to know one thing," Special Agent in Charge, George M. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service for its assistance. Secret Service extends its gratitude the U.S. "We are proud to be a part of the international law enforcement mission to combat all forms of financial crimes and thank all those involved in this investigation. "The Secret Service, alongside our partner agencies, works tirelessly in its global investigative mission to dismantle these groups and arrest those who lead them. These Nigerian organizations are increasingly dangerous in Campania they are already on an equal level with the homegrown Camorra mafia," he said."Transnational organised criminal networks continue to victimise US citizens and threaten the financial infrastructure of the United States, Secret Service Office of Investigations Assistant Director Jeremy Sheridan said. The latter of these was practiced outside supermarkets, in fact it was one of the initiatory steps. "The organization, however, didn't at all disdain drug trafficking, prostitution and panhandling. "The peculiarity of this operation that struck us the most was the property aspect of the criminal activity, a significant derivative in the field of money laundering," Messina said. 'Struck most by property aspect'įrancesco Messina, director of the Italian state police anti-crime centre, explained the operation at a press conference in L'Aquila. One particular computer fraud involved the purchase of bitcoin to buy cloned credit cards on the darknet that were used to purchase goods and services on e-commerce websites. Police said those under investigation committed numerous crimes, mainly cybercrime. Police identified the national heads of the organization and the members of the branches in various Italian cities. Police followed the boss for two years and were thus able to reconstruct the complex business, which extended to the provinces of Rome, Rieti, Bari, Caserta, Naples, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena, Catania, Genoa, Messina, Potenza and Terni. He reportedly arrived in Italy on a migrant boat from Libya and disembarked in Pozzallo (Ragusa) in 2014 and ended up in L'Aquila.
The 35-year-old boss of the organization lived in L'Aquila, and in two and a half years he committed frauds totaling about a million euros. In addition to the 30 suspects arrested, another 25 Nigerians are under investigation for mafia-style association aimed at carrying out various crimes.
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It uses computer fraud driven by illegally obtained funds to carry out a series of money-laundering operations in personal property (purchases made on e-commerce websites) and real estate (property in Nigeria) for a seemingly legitimate parallel global economy that damages the Italian economic system. The L'Aquila district anti-mafia prosecutor's office said the organization was involved in a type of criminality that is "economic with modern methods".
'Economic' criminality with 'modern methods' In addition to the 30 preventive detention orders, 25 house searches were carried out in the provinces included in the investigation, which was coordinated by the L'Aquila district anti-mafia prosecutor's office. The Italy boss of one of the most important organizations in the Nigerian mafia was among the arrested. The arrests include a total of nearly 100 charges of mafia-style criminal association, aimed at carrying out various crimes including drug trafficking, illegal immigration, exploitation of prostitution, romantic fraud, computer fraud, and money laundering, including with the purchase and sale of bitcoin. Thirty foreigners were arrested on Monday (April 26) as part of an Italian police operation against the Nigerian mafia called "Black Axe" in 14 provinces across the country, including L'Aquila in Abruzzo, where the investigation originated.