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US Justice Department and Europol Arrest 354 in Dark Web Drug Sweep
The US Justice Department and Europol said Operation TorNado led to 354 arrests and over $234 million in seized cash and crypto from dark web drug markets.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Europol said Operation TorNado led to 354 arrests and the seizure of more than $234 million in cash and crypto. The action targeted dark web drug vendors and buyers across 14 countries.
- Officials said the operation produced 354 arrests, including 132 in the United States, 59 in the United Kingdom, 45 in Hungary and 41 in Germany.
- Seizures included more than $234 million in cash and virtual currencies, about 5.7 metric tons of drugs, 38 pill presses and 209 firearms.
- Neither the DOJ nor Europol said how much of the $234 million was cryptocurrency or named any specific coin in the totals.
What Operation TorNado found
The announcement came from the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement team (JCODE), an FBI-led group formed in 2018. Officials said Operation TorNado, which ran from May 2025 to October 2026, is its sixth and most extensive international action. It follows Operation RapTor, which led to 270 arrests in May 2025, and Operation SpecTor, which led to 288 in 2023.
Europol, the EU police cooperation agency, coordinated with agencies in 14 countries. Investigators targeted users of five dark web markets already seized by police: Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door. Officials also identified accounts on DrugHub, forums, single-vendor shops and encrypted messaging services.
Seized drugs included fentanyl and other opioids, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA. Other arrests took place in France, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Austria, Ireland, Czechia, Australia and Finland.
How the money breaks down by region
Europol said the European share was more than €60 million in cash and cryptocurrencies, plus 950 kilograms of drugs and 57 firearms. It put the US share at more than €150 million, or $166 million, in cash and crypto, along with more than 4.8 metric tons of drugs and 152 firearms. Europol said its forensic and blockchain analysis teams traced illicit transactions.
Cases name Monero and bitcoin
The DOJ said Alexander Green, 32, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, was arrested in June and charged in the Southern District of Ohio with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. Prosecutors allege he ran a vendor called STARLABS on DrugHub, which the DOJ described as a Monero-only market. Monero is a cryptocurrency designed to hide transaction details. The DOJ said the group has been linked to two overdose deaths. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Brothers Stanislav Chernyshov, 30, and Vladislav Chernyshov, 35, arrested in Florida, are charged in the Eastern District of Virginia with conspiracy to distribute Schedule I synthetic opioids. Prosecutors allege they ran the vendor “BarbaraWhite,” selling fake oxycodone pills laced with nitazenes and shipping more than 1,000 parcels to 49 states. A search-warrant affidavit describes bitcoin transfers tied to the account and the Nemesis market. Each faces up to 20 years if convicted.
What happens next
Federal prosecutions are underway in more than 20 districts, and the DOJ said investigations continue to identify people behind remaining accounts. IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Jarod Koopman said criminal networks “cannot operate without money.” All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
