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Operation TorNado has now ended, resulting in 354 arrests in 14 countries. Of the 354 arrests, 132 were in US states.
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Authorities seized 5.7 tons of drugs, 209 guns, as well as over $234 million in cryptocurrencies and cash.
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FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia sounded a warning to drug dealers, saying, “Justice will find you,” and that the investigations are still ongoing.
Federal agents say the dark web is no longer a safe place to sell deadly drugs. On Thursday, the FBI and the Justice Department announced the results of Operation TorNado.
Officials called it the largest takedown of dark web drug sellers and buyers so far. After the operation, the FBI posted Raia’s message on X. He had a warning for anyone using the darknet for crime, saying their actions threaten American lives. He said no matter where the criminals hide, they’ll be found and made to face justice.
A Global Crackdown on Dark Web Marketplaces
Operation TorNado went on between May 2025 and October 2026. The FBI and its associates in the United States cooperated with police bodies from 13 countries, including countries from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Europol supervised the whole process.
Investigation targets were drug dealers, buyers, and trafficking systems on dark web marketplaces. The law enforcement officials also dismantled some forums, online shops, and messaging platforms.
According to Europol, the operation came after completing several previous operations against six big online marketplaces. However, this time the target was to identify persons involved.
Raia shared the details about the operation during the press conference held in Washington. According to him, it was possible because agents were able to link the usernames to the names of real people.
They also followed the money trail. The operation also aimed at closing some vital components of the whole system powering the trafficking operation.
Numerous Arrests and Confiscation of Illegal Drugs
Officials arrested three hundred fifty-four people. The US had the highest number of arrests, totaling 132. Second was the British country, which had 59 arrests. Hungary was third, recording 45 arrests. Germany followed, with 41, while 23 arrests took place in France.
The authorities also seized 5.7 metric tons of narcotics, including fentanyl, opioids, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and MDMA. They recovered over 4.8 metric tons in the US. Then they seized around 950 kg of drugs in Europe, which mostly included ketamine, cannabis, and cocaine.
There were also 209 firearms and 38 pill presses among the haul. Over 152 of these weapons were seized in the US alone. Pill presses produce fake tablets laced with fentanyl.
The authorities also confiscated cash and cryptocurrency worth over $234 million. They got €150 million from the US and over €60 million from Europe.
Online Anonymity Won’t Protect Criminals Indefinitely
Raia assumed the position of deputy director in 2026 following Dan Bongino’s departure. Prior to this, he was in charge of the FBI’s New York field office. Some media reports referred to him as co-deputy director yet according to both the FBI and the Justice Department, he is indeed deputy director.
“The anonymity you believe protects you is not a shield,” he said. According to Raia, drug dealers cannot hide anywhere, whether they are operating out of a basement or a warehouse or across the river. He underlined that the FBI has a simple philosophy now: “justice will find you.”
Fentanyl trafficking on the dark web, Raia says, is one of the biggest threats out there. He also noted that cooperation among various agencies and countries is most necessary to dismantle such a huge threat.
FBI Director Kash Patel described TorNado as the largest interagency takedown so far. He added that criminals can hide all they want, but the law will always catch up with them. The attorney also went on to say that no matter what corner the criminals hide in, justice will reach them.
The Attorney General Todd Blanche said that nothing will prevent the government from destroying the drug trafficking organizations. He further said that the efforts made have disabled the dark web vendors.
The operation was massive, pulling in several agencies. Reports said officials from the DEA, Homeland Security, the Postal Inspection Service, the IRS, and the FDA were all expected to join Blanche for the big announcement.
The Takedown Efforts Continue
TorNado is the sixth major move of JCODE, Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement, which was established in 2018. The previous one, Operation RapTor, resulted in 270 arrests, confiscation of more than two metric tons of narcotics, and seizure of more than $200 million. TorNado exceeded the results of the previous operation in all those regards.
However, the war is far from being over. According to Europol, the operation demonstrated the resilience of dark web marketplaces, as they adapt each time authorities shut down a marketplace. In other words, sellers find new ways of conducting their businesses.
Authorities have also targeted the infrastructure that supports dark web activities. In a separate operation, in November last year, Dutch police shut down a criminal hosting service used for dark web activities, showing how law enforcement efforts extend beyond arresting marketplace vendors to disrupting the services they rely on.
According to the Justice Department, there are a lot of ongoing investigations. Special agents are still working to determine the identity of dark web account holders. Moreover, according to Patel, the FBI is developing its cyber capabilities, such as a new Cyber Branch.
The authorities asked sellers to take the press release as a warning. Remember that arrest does not mean conviction, everyone arrested is presumed innocent until a court finds them to be otherwise.
