JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Six Nigerian nationals accused of being part of an organized criminal network that allegedly stole more than US$6 million from American women through online romance scams were extradited to the United States on September 11, South African police said.

Police arrested the six men in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2021. They were handed over to officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and taken to the US, where they will face charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

The men are accused of being members of Black Axe, a Nigerian criminal network that has been linked to organized cybercrime. Interpol says groups such as Black Axe are responsible for a large share of cyber-enabled financial fraud worldwide. Their crimes often include romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud and fake investment schemes.

South African police said the six men allegedly targeted more than 100 women in the US and cheated them out of more than $6 million. The victims reportedly included pensioners and businesspeople who were drawn into carefully planned online relationships before being persuaded to send money.

Police spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the suspects were being transferred from a correctional facility in Cape Town to Cape Town International Airport. She said FBI and US Secret Service officials had arrived in South Africa to take custody of the men and transport them to the United States.

"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 FBI and the United States Secret Service, who arrived in South Africa this morning," Mogale said.

The extradition came after a recent Interpol operation against organized crime groups in West Africa. The operation resulted in 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects believed to be linked to various criminal networks involved in similar offenses, Interpol said last month.

The international operation aimed to disrupt money laundering networks, identify key criminal suspects, seize illegal assets, and help authorities make arrests and bring offenders to court.

South African authorities have also taken action against organized groups involved in online scams. In one operation, police raided seven locations in Johannesburg linked to a syndicate accused of running romance and investment scams targeting retired people in English-speaking countries.

Police arrested 39 people during those raids and froze bank accounts containing about $2.67 million. The action was part of wider efforts by South African and international authorities to disrupt online financial crime and the criminal networks behind it.