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Swiss Operation Arrests 10 Suspected Black Axe Members for Fraud and Money Laundering

Regulatory & Policy · 3 sources · Updated 4mo ago · First seen Apr 28, 2026

Swiss authorities arrested 10 suspected members of the Nigerian criminal organisation Black Axe in coordinated raids across several cantons, including the group’s alleged Regional Head for Southern Europe. Prosecutors and police in Zurich said the suspects were tied to romance scams, other cyber-enabled fraud schemes, and money laundering that caused losses of millions of Swiss francs.

The Swiss-led investigation was carried out with German law enforcement and supported by Europol, which provided intelligence analysis, cross-border coordination, and a data sprint in Madrid to map the group’s structure and links to related cases, including in Spain. Authorities described Black Axe as a highly structured transnational network with global reach and criminal proceeds estimated in the billions of euros, and said the operation aimed to disrupt its distributed model and support asset seizures with assistance from the EU-funded @ON Network.

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1 event · Apr 28, 2026

Apr 28, 20266mo ago
Swiss-led operation arrests 10 suspected Black Axe members
On 28 April 2026, Swiss authorities carried out coordinated searches across several cantons and arrested 10 suspects linked to the Black Axe criminal organisation, including its alleged Regional Head for Southern Europe. The suspects were accused of romance scams, other cyber fraud offences, and money laundering tied to millions of Swiss francs in losses.

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Help Net SecurityNews · Apr 28, 2026

Police arrest 10 suspected members of Black Axe cybercrime gang - Help Net SecurityOpen source ↗

UnclassifiedNews · Apr 28, 2026

Ermittlungen im Kampf gegen Romance Scam und Geldwäscherei | Kanton ZürichOpen source ↗

EuropolNews · Apr 28, 2026

Europol supports hit against ‘Black Axe’ criminal organisation in Switzerland: 10 arrests - International cooperation targets leaders and members of the Nigerian criminal organisation engaged in online fraud and money laundering | EuropolOpen source ↗

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Swiss Operation Arrests 10 Suspected Black Axe Members for Fraud and Money Laundering

How this story unfolded

Swiss-led operation arrests 10 suspected Black Axe members

Related entities

Threat actors

Sources

See the full picture, correlated to your attack surface.

Related stories

Europol-Led Operation Dismantles Black Axe Cybercrime Network in Spain

Five Alleged Black Axe Leaders Extradited to US on Fraud Charges

INTERPOL Operation Jackal IV Disrupts West African Cybercrime Networks

Swiss Operation Arrests 10 Suspected Black Axe Members for Fraud and Money Laundering

How this story unfolded

Swiss-led operation arrests 10 suspected Black Axe members

Related entities

Threat actors

Sources

See the full picture, correlated to your attack surface.

Related stories

Europol-Led Operation Dismantles Black Axe Cybercrime Network in Spain

Five Alleged Black Axe Leaders Extradited to US on Fraud Charges

INTERPOL Operation Jackal IV Disrupts West African Cybercrime Networks