CONNECT WITH US
Web3 & Blockchain

Web3 & Blockchain

DOJ’s Operation TorNado Arrests 354 and Seizes $234 Million in Cash and Crypto

Bitcoin Magazine logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
DOJ’s Operation TorNado Arrests 354 and Seizes $234 Million in Cash and Crypto

Bitcoin Magazine

DOJ’s Operation TorNado Arrests 354 and Seizes $234 Million in Cash and Crypto

The Justice Department and Europol said Thursday that Operation TorNado has produced 354 arrests and the seizure of more than $234 million in cash and virtual currencies, in what the FBI called the largest takedown yet of dark web drug vendors and buyers.

The announcement came from the department’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement team, or JCODE, an FBI-led group created in 2018. Officials said Operation TorNado is the sixth, and most extensive, internationally coordinated action since then, and that it builds on last year’s Operation RapTor. The sweep ran from May 2025 to October 2026.

Europol, which coordinated work with agencies in 14 countries, published a parallel statement the same day. The operation targeted vendors and buyers who had been active on five dark web markets already seized by law enforcement: Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door. Officials also identified accounts on DrugHub and on forums, single-vendor shops and encrypted messaging services.

The seizures included about 5.7 metric tons of illicit drugs worldwide, among them fentanyl and other opioids, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA, plus 38 pill presses and 209 firearms. Neither the Justice Department nor Europol split the $234 million between cash and cryptocurrency, and neither named bitcoin or any other coin in the official totals.

S. 8 metric tons of drugs and 152 firearms. Those regional money figures still combine cash and crypto. Europol said its forensic and blockchain analysis teams traced illicit transactions as part of the work.


Source link

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.