The German police on Wednesday announced the arrests of eleven suspected members of a criminal syndicate from Nigeria, the Black Axe, during nationwide raids, DW reports.

All 11 suspects are said to be Nigerian citizens but most of them have been in Germany for many years. They are said to be behind dating platforms where victims are swindled after a promise of marriage.

Authorities said the gang worked hand in hand with scammers who transferred money to them in Nigeria as “financial agents”.

The crackdown which targeted 19 properties, according to the report, is part of Germany’s focus on dislodging large-scale dating scams and money laundering in the country.

This latest crackdown is coming two months after Thai authorities apprehended two Nigerian men and a Thai woman in Phuket’s Thalang district, for their alleged involvement in a romance scam.

In addition to the arrests, law enforcement seized 50 sachets of cocaine and a digital balance from property.

Also, Europol reported that it arrested 16 persons between  December 7 and 9, 2023 in an international operation targeting Nigerian criminals responsible for crimes such as the smuggling and distribution of drugs, trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation,  and money laundering in the EU and abroad