The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrests of 179 darknet drug traffickers and the seizure of illegal drugs, weapons, as well as cash, and virtual currencies.
The takedown of darknet narcotics traffickers was the result of Operation DisrupTor, a coordinated effort by the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team and Europol.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Administrator Timothy Shea and other law enforcement officials provided details about the takedown.
According to them, Operation DisrupTor resulted in the seizure of more than $6.5 million in cash and virtual currencies and approximately 500 kilograms of drugs worldwide.
In the United States, the operation resulted in the seizure of 274 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA, and medicine containing addictive substances, and 63 weapons.
Operation DisrupTor led to the arrests of 121 darknet drug dealers in the United States, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the United Kingdom, three in Austria, two in Canada, and one in Sweden.
International law enforcement agencies identified and linked vendor accounts to real individuals selling illegal drugs and other products on darknet market sites including AlphaBay, Dream, WallStreet, Nightmare, Empire, White House, DeepSea, Dark Market, and others.
