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Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Naked blood-drinking Black Axe 'mafia' feared to be recruiting UK 'money mules'
Members of the Nigerian Black Axe gang - who are inducted via a physically and mentally tortuous blood drinking ritual - are believed to be operating a vast cybercrime network A violent criminal cult known for its bizarre naked blood-drinking initiation rituals has become one of the world's most dangerous mafia groups - and it is now targeting British teens. The Black Axe gang was, once upon, a time a secretive confraternity based in the University of Benin in Benin, Nigeria, established as part of the 1977 Pan-African movement. Early on, it was steered towards "intellectual radicalism in pursuit of Pan-African struggles", and its presence grew throughout several African nations and universities as part of the Neo-Black movement. But now, it has been dubbed a " mafia -style gang" accused of committing a vast array of crimes ranging from election interference to human trafficking, some in the UK. Black Axe members are a mix of volunteers and forced conscripts, join the group following a brutal initiation in which they are stripped naked before being physically and mentally tortured and forced to drink blood. They have long been associated with election fraud, human trafficking, illegal drug trading, initimidation and violence, with images occasionally surfacing online in Nigeria showing dead and mutilated bodies believed to be the Black Axe's handiwork. Their most lucrative criminal enterprise, however, is cybercrime. Investigators believe the Black Axe has a vast global network of cyber criminal cells that generate a staggering $5 billion (£3.7 billion) a year. Around 30,000 people are believed to be working for the group, which has tendrils believed to extend from Nigeria to Malaysia, the Gulf States, Canada, the US, Malaysia and up to a dozen other nations. Law enforcement agencies now believe British and Irish young people are being targeted by the group via Snapchat, the most popular social media network among teens, with thousands believed to be falling into its clutches across Europe. It is believed that students are among those being blackmailed into acting as money mules after criminals receive compromising images of them, with the group known to operate via Snapchat, favouring its disappearing messages function. Recruiters reportedly use straightforward registration forms through which they have mules fill in bank details and other key bits of information, including accounts, which they then use to move fraudulent money. Senior detectives say they have recovered images of completed versions of this form from seized phones. Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan, of the Garda Economic Crime Bureau in Ireland, told the publication people are lured with the promise of "easy money". Speaking last month, he said: "Individuals need to realise that if they act as a money mule, they are interacting with vicious transnational organised criminals. You owe them and they control you. If the money is frozen by the bank, they have been known to demand that you pay up yourself like drug dealers. "The money mules have no idea what their account will be used for, how much or where it was stolen. If stolen in the USA, they may look to extradite you there to charge you and sentencing is very harsh there. "They also need to realise that they are helping organised crime gangs who traffic humans, who run brothels, as well as funding their lavish lifestyles. People who get involved in this are destroying their own futures because they could go to jail, end up with a criminal record and be prevented from getting jobs."
Irish Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Black Axe fraud gang uses Snapchat to recruit Irish money mules
Money-laundering arrests have reached record highs as sophisticated fraud gangs prey on more victims in the Republic and gardaí investigating the drugs trade increasingly aim to dismantle the financial structures of criminal organisations. The Irish Times has learned that the Black Axe gang , which specialises in frauds in Ireland, has become so organised in its recruitment of 'money mules' that it has developed a registration form, circulated via Snapchat, to accelerate and streamline the process. People who agree to allow their bank accounts to be used to move money from frauds are sent a registration form by the gang via Snapchat. These money mules complete the form – with details of their accounts – and return it via Snapchat to their recruiter. Detectives who are investigating the Black Axe gang have found images of completed Snapchat-based forms on mobile phones they have seized from suspects. READ MORE It is understood the gang favours Snapchat because 'chat' and photo 'snap' messages on the app disappear, often instantly, meaning they are less likely to be discovered. [ Black Axe gang behind bank account takeover fraud swells to network of 1,600 people in Ireland Opens in new window ] New Garda data shows the number of money-laundering arrests reached 643 last year, up from 508 in 2023 and nearly 10 times the number in 2018, when 67 arrests were made. There were 341 arrests in the first half of 2025, meaning the record number of arrests in 2024 is set to be exceeded this year. [ Surge in money-laundering arrests as gardaí target drug gangs and fraudsters Opens in new window ] In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters attributed the rise in arrests to its creation of a Financial Intelligence Unit, which facilitated annual courses to train gardaí in identifying and investigating money laundering. Financial institutions are increasingly reporting suspicious transactions for investigation, the Garda added. Garda sources said a big change in Irish policing of money laundering in recent years has been its targeting of gang leaders and minor figures on the periphery of organised crime even when the core offence that generated particular funds has not been detected. That means gardaí commence money-laundering investigations if they identify unexplained wealth or the movement of funds with no apparent legitimate source. They do not need to prove how the money was generated. Money laundering is defined by the Garda as 'the process of transforming the proceeds of crime into ostensibly legitimate money or other assets'. This can involve running money through a legitimate business, even paying taxes on it, so it appears to be the proceeds of that business's activities. [ Central Bank's Derville Rowland to join EU anti-money laundering agency Opens in new window ] Other methods include using the bank account of a person with no previous convictions – a money mule. Such a person accepts funds that are the proceeds of crime into their accounts. This money is often then moved around via several 'mule' accounts in multiple jurisdictions to frustrate law enforcement, before it is eventually withdrawn as cash.
