Internet fraudster, Raymond Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, has been handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States of America by the Dubai Police, United Arab Emirates.
Abbas, his friend, Olalekan Ponle, aka Woodberry, and 10 other Africans were arrested during a special operation dubbed, Fox Hunt 2.
They were alleged to have committed fraud amounting to N168bn.
No fewer than 1,926,400 people from different parts of the world were also said to have fallen victims to the suspects.
The Dubai Police also claimed they recovered N16bn cash from the house, where Abbas and his gang were arrested.
In a statement on Thursday, the police said the suspects had been extradited to the US.
The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher Wray, was said to have praised the “exceptional efforts exerted by the United Arab Emirates, represented by the Dubai Police General HQ, in combating transnational organised cybercrime…”
Wray also reportedly appreciated the Dubai Police for their cooperation in extraditing the suspects, who allegedly committed money laundering and multiple cybercrimes against the US.
According to the statement, the police arrested the men for committing crimes outside the UAE, including money-laundering, cyber fraud, hacking, criminal impersonating, scam, bank fraud and identity theft.
“The suspects were caught in a series of synchronised raids by six SWAT teams from Dubai Police, who foiled the gang’s bid to deceive many people from around the world and steal their money.
“The Director of Dubai CID, Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, said the raid resulted in confiscating incriminating documents of a planned fraud on a global scale worth 1.6bn Dirham ($435m).
“The team also seized more than 150m Dirham ($40.9m) in cash, 13 luxury cars with an estimated value of 25m Dirham ($6.8m) obtained from fraud crimes, and confiscated 21 computer devices, 47 smart phones, 15 memory sticks, five hard disks containing 119,580 fraud files as well as addresses of 1,926,400 victims.
“After conducting further investigations and analysing confiscated electronic devices, Dubai Police investigators uncovered sensitive information mined by the suspects on individuals and companies overseas, including bank accounts and fake credit cards, as well as documents and files condemning the gangs’ illegal activities,” the police statement added.
