Police in several countries have arrested 354 people in a large dark web drug crackdown. The dark web is a hidden part of the internet that normal search engines do not show. Officials named the effort Operation TorNado. Officers also seized about 5.7 metric tons of illegal drugs. They took more than $234 million in cash and cryptocurrency as well.
The US Department of Justice shared the results on November 12, 2026. The announcement came a few weeks after the operation ended in October 2026. According to the Justice Department, the United States, European countries, Australia, and New Zealand ran the investigation together. The operation targeted people who sold or bought illegal drugs on dark web marketplaces. Authorities also looked into people who sold other illegal goods and services.
Police from 14 countries trace dark web accounts
Operation TorNado ran from May 2025 to October 2026, which is about 17 months. Law enforcement agencies from 14 countries took part. The DEA also published details about the operation. Its release describes an effort that targets opioid and fentanyl traffickers.
Europol said the effort built on earlier global crackdowns. Those included Operations RapTor, SpecTor, Dark Huntor, and DisrupTor. Investigators used information from past marketplace seizures. That information helped them find the people behind criminal accounts.
Authorities focused on several major dark web marketplaces. These included Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom, and Tor2Door. They also investigated vendors and buyers on online forums. Officers checked independent drug shops and encrypted messaging services too.
Investigators used digital evidence and shared intelligence to build their cases. They passed what they learned across borders. They also relied on forensic analysis and blockchain analysis. These tools helped them connect anonymous online accounts to real people.
Cross-border information sharing also raises questions about how countries control access to sensitive data. For example, China’s proposed privacy rules would bar foreign residents from key data protection roles, highlighting how national data policies can shape who is allowed to handle sensitive information.
The FBI said 132 of the 354 arrests happened in the United States. That is more than one third of the total. That leaves 222 arrests in other countries. Suspects were arrested in at least six countries in all. Those include the United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary, France, and New Zealand. Officers also carried out hundreds of house searches.
The operation led to several separate investigations in the countries that took part. Teams in each country ran their own cases. Authorities are still working to identify more people linked to the seized accounts.
Fentanyl, guns, and millions in cash seized
The crackdown led to the seizure of about 5.7 metric tons of illegal drugs worldwide. Officers found fentanyl and other opioids. They also found methamphetamine and heroin. Cocaine, ecstasy, and MDMA were on the list too.
Officers also recovered 38 pill presses and 209 firearms. Pill presses are machines that shape powder into pills. The Justice Department said the financial seizures passed $234 million. That total included both cash and virtual currencies.
Europol shared more details about what happened in Europe. According to Europol, these numbers cover Europe alone. European authorities recovered about 950 kilograms of illegal drugs. They also took more than €60 million in cash and cryptocurrency. Officers in Europe seized 57 firearms as well.
The numbers in the United States were larger, according to the Justice Department. American authorities seized more than 4.8 metric tons of drugs. They also took 152 firearms and over $166 million in cash and cryptocurrency. The US share was the biggest part of the global drug total.
A release from the Middle District of Georgia also covers charges against dark web fentanyl and opioid traffickers. Reports say these seizures show how dark web marketplaces help spread drugs across borders. They also support other criminal activity.
FBI director calls it the biggest joint takedown yet
FBI Director Kash Patel described Operation TorNado as the largest interagency takedown of its kind. It targeted dark web drug vendors and buyers. He also pointed to the FBI’s newly created Cyber Branch. According to Patel, the branch strengthens the FBI’s ability to investigate online criminal networks.
The Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement team, known as JCODE, took part. The FBI leads this team, which is a Justice Department effort. Other US agencies joined too. They were the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the US Postal Inspection Service.
Europol played a major role as well. It coordinated intelligence sharing and supported the investigations. It also provided digital and blockchain analysis. Still, authorities say the fight against dark web crime is far from over. Criminal marketplaces keep changing. Some move to new platforms after police shut down older services.
The operation sends a clear warning to online drug traffickers. Anonymous accounts and digital currencies do not guarantee protection from police. Everyone arrested remains presumed innocent until a court proves guilt.
