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The Department of Justice’s FBI-led Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team and its international law enforcement partners announced on Thursday that 270 dark web vendors, buyers, and administrators involved in illegal drugs have been arrested. The operation also resulted in the highest number of seizures of any JCODE operation ever.
The arrests and seizures were part of Operation RapTor, which took place around the globe in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. More than $200 million in currency and digital assets were seized in the operation, as well as over 2.2 tons of drugs, 144 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics, and over 180 firearms.
DOJ
“These predators who peddled poison on the dark web might have thought they are untouchable — hiding behind screens, pushing fentanyl, fueling overdoses, and cashing in on misery. However, Operation RapTor just proved them wrong,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “DEA and our global partners reached across borders, across platforms, and across currencies to rip their networks apart. Let this stand as a warning: no mask, no marketplace, and no digital wallet can hide you from facing justice.”
One such dark web marketplace that was shut down by the operation was an online drugs bazaar called Incognito Market. Prior to its shutdown, Incognito Market sold more than $100 million worth of narcotics, including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine.
“While concealing their identities with a unique username or “moniker,” users were able to search thousands of listings for narcotics of their choice. Incognito Market sold illegal narcotics including heroin, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, oxycodone, methamphetamine, ketamine, and alprazolam, as well as misbranded prescription medication,” the U.S. Department of Justice explained.
“Listings included offerings of prescription medication that was falsely advertised as being authentic. For example, in November 2023, while operating in an undercover capacity on Incognito Market, a law enforcement agent purchased and received several tablets purported to be oxycodone. Testing revealed that these tablets were not oxycodone and were, in fact, fentanyl pills.”
DOJ
“Operation RapTor shows that the dark web is not beyond the reach of law enforcement,” said Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, Edvardas Sileris. “Through close cooperation and intelligence sharing, officers across three continents identified and arrested suspects, sending a clear message to those who think they can hide in the shadows. Europol will continue working with our partners to make the internet safer for everyone.”