Gardaí arrest 34 suspects in major operation against gang linked to €64 million in frauds

An international crime gang’s operation in the Republic has stolen and laundered €64 million in recent years after recruiting thousands of people to facilitate their frauds and scams, a Garda inquiry has found.

A senior Garda officer said members of the Black Axe organised crime gang, which originated in west Africa in the 1970s, were now operating in the Republic and running a large network of so-called mules and middle managers.

Det Supt Michael Cryan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau added Irish mules, people allowing their bank accounts to be used to move the gang’s money, did not seem to realise they were getting involved were serious gangland criminals.

“That money is used for trafficking in human beings, for people smuggling, it’s used for terrorism, it’s used to finance wars,” he warned people allowing their accounts to be used. “You’re the vital cog in the wheel and it’s your phone number that’s being used, your bank account used to do the money transfer. It’s your face, more than likely, on CCTV at an ATM. And you also don’t know where or how your bank account is going to be used.”

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Mr Cryan added mules could be traced through their bank accounts and would be convicted of offences under money laundering and financing terrorism legislation in the Republic. This would lead to serious implications for them, in terms of travel and employment possibilities, throughout their lives. They could also be extradited and face charges abroad for facilitating crimes there.

A total of 4,000 money mules, linked to the Black Axe operation and a small number or other gangs, have been identified in Ireland since online scams and frauds have become more common in recent years.

Rory Corcoran, director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said information supplied by the Garda - found on mobile phones during searches in 2020 - had resulted in a major international investigation into the Black Axe gang. That inquiry, he said, had now spread to 13 countries on four continents.

That initial Garda probe, which became known as Operation Skein, was commenced in Ireland in 2020 when a €1 million fake invoice fraud, targeting an Asian company, was orchestrated from the Republic. When gardaí were alerted to the Irish connection they targeted suspects in the Republic. The phones and other devices seized from those people contained evidence that the Irish-based suspects were effectively an Irish cell of the international Black Axe network.

The intelligence was supplied to international law enforcement and prompted Operation Jackal, which is effectively the international version of Operation Skein.

In a week of action against the gang’s Irish operation, some 23 suspects were arrested for the purposes of charging over their role in the lucrative romance frauds or fake invoicing frauds and a further 11 people were arrested on suspicion or organised crime offences. Arising from the search and arrest operations in counties Dublin, Clare, Laois, Meath, Limerick, Cork and Waterford, some 62 people were charged with money laundering and three with organised crime offences. The week-long operation was conducted during the week beginning September 26th, though details had not emerged before now.

The Black Axe gang’s Irish operation has mainly been involved in email-based frauds. These usually involve sending fake invoices to companies and duping them into paying sums of money into accounts controlled by the gang. Some of those frauds have netted over €1 million.

The romance-based frauds almost always begin on dating apps. The victims, who are often middle-aged women, are befriended via the apps. However, rather than being involved in a growing online romance, as they believe, they are effectively being groomed until they send money to the fraudsters, in the belief they are helping someone they are romantically involved with.

Up to the end of August, gardaí had identified about 1,000 people based in Ireland who had worked in the Black Axe gang’s management or recruitment ranks in the Republic. Add to that, thousands of money mules had been recruited in Ireland, some of whom were now being flown to other jurisdictions to help money the proceeds of frauds there.