South Africa has extradited six Nigerian nationals to the United States to face allegations of wire fraud and money laundering linked to online romance scams.
The suspects, who were arrested in South Africa in 2021, are alleged to have defrauded more than 100 women through online relationships.
The South African Police Service disclosed the extradition in a post on X on Friday, saying the suspects were allegedly members of the Black Axe organised criminal network.
“The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the #Hawks, in collaboration with #INTERPOL South Africa, will today facilitate the extradition of six Nigerian nationals to the United States of America,” SAPS said.
The police said the six men were wanted by US authorities over allegations of wire fraud and money laundering.
According to the SAPS, the suspects allegedly defrauded their victims of more than R100 million through online romance and love scams.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, said the suspects were handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service at Cape Town International Airport on Friday.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the suspects were transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to the airport under INTERPOL South Africa coordination before being handed over to the US authorities.
“Through the coordination of INTERPOL South Africa, the six will today be transported from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport, where they will be handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service,” Mogale said.
He described the extradition as evidence of continued cooperation between South African and international law enforcement agencies in tackling transnational organised crime.
“This extradition demonstrates the continued cooperation between South African law enforcement agencies and international law enforcement partners in disrupting transnational organised crime and ensuring that suspects wanted in other jurisdictions face due legal process,” he said.
The suspects will now face the allegations against them in the United States.