Authorities detained 354 suspects in a joint global operation targeting suppliers and purchasers on the Archetyp, Nemesis, Tor2Door, Bohemia, and Kingdom dark web markets.
Codenamed ‘Operation TorNado,’ this police action ranged from May 2025 to October 2026 and included firms from 14 nations.
“Additionally, law enforcement targeted vendors and buyers active on forums, single-vendor shops, and encrypted messaging services. National authorities conducted independent investigations with Europol’s support, including cross-checks via SIENA and forensic analysis,” Europol stated
“The operation highlighted the evolving resilience of dark web marketplaces, which continue to adapt despite takedowns.”
They took over EUR60 million($66 million)in money and cryptocurrency, 950 kgs of illegal drugs(consisting of amphetamines, drug, ketamine, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, and marijuana), and 57 guns in Europe.
Police authorities likewise took more than 4.8 metric tonnes of illegal drugs, 152 guns, and over EUR150 million ($166 million) in the United States.
“Following the takedown of multiple darknet marketplaces and vendor targets in the previous JCODE operation, U.S. and international law enforcement agencies obtained intelligence to identify Dark Web drug traffickers, resulting in a series of complementary, but separate, law enforcement investigations,” the United States Department of Justice included
“By leveraging complementary partnerships and surging resources across the U.S. government and Europol, Operation TorNado significantly disrupted the online opioid trade and sends a strong message that criminals operating on the Dark Web are not beyond the reach of law enforcement.”
Operation TorNado follows numerous comparable actions over the last 6 years, consisting of DisrupTor in 2020 (which caused 179 arrests) and Dark Huntor in 2021 (in which 150 more high-volume darknet suppliers were collared).
In April 2022, United States authorities and German authorities likewise removed Hydra, the world’s biggest dark web market at the time, with more than 19,000 seller accounts that were serving over 17 million consumers worldwide.
One year later on, in 2023, Operation SpecTor resulted in the arrest of 288 other suspects who apparently offered illegal drugs on dark web markets and the seizure of EUR50.8 million ($55.9 million) in money and cryptocurrency.
More just recently, in May 2025, police likewise revealed the arrest of another 270 dark web suppliers and purchasers from 10 nations as part of Operation RapTor.
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