Men guilty of €183,000 PUP scam could have links with notorious Black Axe gang

Oluwagbewikeke Lewis. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

November 06 2021 02:30 AM

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Detectives suspect two men who pleaded guilty this week to a money-laundering conspiracy involving €183,491 in funds fraudulently obtained under the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) programme are part of the global-wide Nigerian Black Axe crime organisation.

Black Axe is considered to be the world’s biggest fraud gang, and senior officers attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) believe its activities in Ireland have significantly increased in recent years.

“It is suspected that this gang has been in Ireland for around 20 years but their activities here have become more prevalent,” a source told the Irish Independent.

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