Two men linked to Black Axe crime network facing multiple gangland and money laundering charges

Sunday World

01-07-2025

It follows a major investigation by detectives from the the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB)
Two male suspects with alleged links to the Black Axe global crime network are due to face multiple money laundering and gangland charges later today.
It follows a major investigation by detectives from the the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB).
The two men have been among the fraud squad's biggest targets as part of their massive Operation Skein investigation.
The Irish Independent has learned the suspects are linked to a huge romance fraud scam where many hundreds of thousands of euro was stolen from an elderly woman in a European country.
Investigations have also linked them to a lucrative romance fraud in another country.
Neither suspect is expected to get bail when they appear before court later because of the nature of the criminal charges against them.
The charges against the men means that so far up to 20 people have been charged with serious gangland style offences as part of Operation Skein and associated investigations.
Black Axe has had a significant presence in Ireland for a number of years, but the GNECB has been involved in a large number of arrests and successful prosecutions against gang members and their associates in recent times.
The mafia syndicate first emerged in Nigeria the 1970s when it was involved in ritual murders, but has evolved into one of the biggest fraud mobs operating across the world, often recruiting intelligent gang members such as computer specialists in universities.
Many international police forces have visited Ireland to study the pro-active approach taken by gardaí in following the money trail.
Called Operation Skein, it has led to over 100 arrests under organised crime legislation, while over 400 people have been arrested for money-laundering offences.
In total well over 1,000 people have been identified so far with links to Black Axe and the organisation is estimated to have laundered over €84 million in Irish banks.
At present, around 50 per cent of all international requests sent to the Gardai are linked to the area of fraud.
Around 20 Black Axe operatives have been jailed in this country so far with many more before the courts and 50 senior gang members arrested.
Dozens of money mules have mostly received suspended sentences after being convicted.
Some of the Black Axe operatives working in Irish financial institutions who have been targeted by the GNECB in recent years include a man working in a bank who checked accounts for the criminal organisation and then sent screenshots of internal bank systems to a more senior criminal, who was in­volved in laundering huge sums through accounts in that bank.
Garda stock image
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