Eswatini detains 88 foreign nationals after Mbabane hotel raid linked to suspected online gambling and fraud

Police raided a hotel in the capital after intelligence suggested an illegal online gambling operation was being run using multiple electronic devices, with early findings indicating targets outside Eswatini; immigration checks later found all 88 suspects were in the country illegally.

Authorities in Eswatini have detained 88 foreign nationals following an intelligence-led operation at a hotel in Mbabane, where investigators say they uncovered a suspected illegal online gambling setup linked to broader fraud concerns. The arrests were made after officers raided a hotel where the group was reportedly operating from rooms equipped with numerous laptops and computers believed to facilitate online betting and related activities.

According to Times of Eswatini, the suspects are mostly Asian nationals, with eight Brazilians among those arrested. The paper adds that preliminary police findings suggested the operation may have been targeting people outside Eswatini, and that the case has expanded beyond gambling into a wider probe involving immigration status and possible organised activity.

A major development came from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which reported that immigration investigations found all 88 to be in Eswatini illegally—with allegations that many did not enter through official ports of entry, while some who entered legally lacked valid visas or overstayed.

Police have not yet detailed the full list of charges publicly, but the case has already moved into court processes, with prosecutors and the court also addressing detention logistics given the size of the group being held at Mbabane Police Station.

The raid highlights a growing enforcement focus in the region: hotel-based “operations rooms” using digital infrastructure to run gambling or fraud schemes across borders. What happens next—formal charges, asset seizures, and cooperation with foreign authorities if victims were overseas—will be closely watched as Eswatini tests how hard it can clamp down on offshore-style online gambling activity inside its borders.