DOJ Drops Historic Bombshell
DOJ, FBI Announce the Largest Dark Web Drug Trafficking Crackdown in US History
The Department of Justice, alongside the FBI and global law enforcement agencies, announced Thursday the largest dark web drug trafficking crackdown in U.S. history.
The mission, called Operation RapTor, led to 270 arrests in the U.S. and ten other countries, including Germany, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
The operation resulted in the seizure of more than $200 million in cash and digital assets, according to a DOJ press release.
Authorities also confiscated over two metric tons of narcotics, including 144 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced substances.
Additionally, more than 180 firearms linked to criminal enterprises were recovered.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the seizure would “save lives” and emphasized that dark web criminals “cannot hide behind computer screens,” per the Conservative Brief.
“This historic international seizure of firearms, deadly drugs, and illegal funds will save lives,” the attorney general said.
“Criminals cannot hide behind computer screens or seek refuge on the dark web – this Justice Department will identify and eliminate threats to the American people regardless of where they originate,” she added.
FBI Director Kash Patel added that these traffickers were “fueling the fentanyl crisis and gun violence” and warned that their “ease and accessibility” has come to an end.
“By cowardly hiding online, these traffickers have wreaked havoc across our country and directly fueled the fentanyl crisis and gun violence impacting our American communities and neighborhoods. But the ease and accessibility of their crimes ends today,” Patel said.
“The FBI could not do this work without our partners both at home and abroad, and the staggering success of this year’s record-breaking amount of fentanyl, guns, and drugs seized prove that our efforts are working,” he went on. “Anyone looking to anonymously harm our citizens through illicit darknet trafficking: your days of recklessness are numbered.”
DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy said those using the dark web to spread deadly drugs had been proven “wrong” if they thought they were untouchable.
“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,” Murphy said.
Murphy explained that enforcement teams dismantled criminal networks “across borders, platforms, and currencies.”
He warned future offenders that “no mask, no marketplace, and no digital wallet” could shield them from law enforcement.
According to the DOJ, the operation was a coordinated effort spanning North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.
It builds on earlier takedowns of darknet marketplaces like Nemesis, Tor2Door, Bohemia, and Kingdom Markets.
The DOJ stated these past operations provided critical leads that aided the success of Operation RapTor.
Europol’s Edvardas Šileris said the operation proves the dark web is “not beyond the reach” of law enforcement.
He added that intelligence sharing across three continents led to the identification and arrests of numerous suspects.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said the mission sends a “clear message” to traffickers that “your anonymity ends where our global reach begins.”
Lyons credited the joint force of Homeland Security Investigations, Europol, and other international partners for helping dismantle these cybercriminal safe havens.
BREAKING: Some of the Darknet’s deadliest dealers just got caught.
— FBI (@FBI) May 22, 2025
On the darknet, drug dealers aren’t lurking in alleyways—they're behind polished websites, pushing fentanyl, heroin, and illegal guns with just a few clicks. Shopping carts, reviews, promo, codes, and poison.… pic.twitter.com/ZTh24g1x6V
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