---
title: Here's What $43 Million in Illegal Cash Looks Like
description: Nigerian authorities recovered $43.4 million worth of elicit cash in $100 bills stashed in an apartment in Lagos, thanks to a whistleblower.
authors:
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    url: https://money.com/author/rob-wile/
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published: '2017-04-17T20:15:51.000Z'
modified: '2024-04-17T05:41:02.000Z'
section: Identity Theft
tags:
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word_count: 140
canonical: https://money.com/nigerian-prince-cash-43-million/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
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![Here's What $43 Million in Illegal Cash Looks Like](https://img.money.com/2017/04/170417-nigerian-scam-money.jpg?quality=85&w=960&h=569&crop=1)

You know the old ["Nigerian Prince" scam](https://money.com/scams-psychology-why-victims-fall-tech-support-irs-facebook/)? Nigerian authorities may have found the prince's money.

Acting on a whistleblower's tip, agents from the country's [Economic and Financial Crimes Commission](https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/) [said](https://www.facebook.com/officialefcc/posts/1408419639180522) they raided an apartment in Ikoyi, one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the Nigerian capital of Lagos, and uncovered "a humongous find of foreign currencies and \[Nigerian\] Naira notes" worth $43.4 million. Here's what the haul looked like:

![](https://img.money.com/2017/04/17904379_1408418189180667_5145947133189442086_n.jpg)

![](https://img.money.com/2017/04/17884098_1408418285847324_2303384010533551425_n.jpg)

![](https://img.money.com/2017/04/17861950_1408418335847319_4661247689575800088_n.jpg)

According to the whistleblower, suspects were often seen moving out of a tiny apartment with bags made out to look like they contained clothing for a Ghana aid organization.

Preliminary findings indicate that the funds are suspected to be proceeds from unlawful activity, the commission said in a statement. Some [$200 million in elicit cash](https://qz.com/957927/nigerias-anti-corruption-agency-efcc-found-43-million-cash-in-an-empty-lagos-flat/) has been recovered by the commission since a whistleblower policy was enacted to root out corruption.

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