A GARDA day of action this Tuesday (February 24) targeted the activity of an international crime group with roots in Nigeria and its operations in Limerick and six other Irish counties.
A statement from An Garda Síochána confirmed that officers today carried out searches at 11 locations across the country targeting the Black Axe organised crime group.
The Black Axe gang is an international organisation with roots in Nigeria, known for carrying out a string of cyber crimes, money laundering operations, frauds, and digital scams across the world.
Gardaí said that, over the course of today’s searches, they uncovered items of clothing they believe denote affiliation, rank, and loyalty within the international gang.
The raids were carried out under Operation SKEIN, run by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau.
Raids were carried out in Limerick, Sligo, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Kildare, and Meath. Three raids were previously conducted last year.
Gardaí said they seized “a number of electronic devices of evidential value” in today’s raids, along with “a number of clothing items which are believed to denote affiliation, rank and loyalty in the organized crime group”.
A Garda spokesperson said that “as part of Operation SKEIN, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau continues to work closely with law-enforcement partners across several jurisdictions and is supported in its efforts by Europol and Interpol”.
“This coordinated international approach reflects the scale and sophistication of the criminal network under investigation.”
Operation SKEIN targets international crime organisations that commit fraud and launder the proceeds of crime through networks of bank accounts across Ireland.
Since 2025, Gardaí have identified 1,400 potential suspects involved in the theft and laundering €94million.
To date, more than 636 people have been arrested as part of this operation, over half of whom have been charged with gangland and money laundering offences.