DOJ’s Operation TorNado Arrests 354 and Seizes $234 Million in Cash and Crypto
The Justice Department and Europol announced Operation TorNado has resulted in 354 arrests and the seizure of more than $234 million in cash and virtual currencies, marking the largest takedown of dark web drug vendors and buyers to date.
The operation, led by the FBI's Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement team (JCODE), represents the sixth internationally coordinated action since the group's creation in 2018. It builds on last year's Operation RapTor and ran from May 2025 to October 2026, with Europol coordinating efforts across 14 countries.
Officials targeted vendors and buyers active on five dark web markets previously seized by law enforcement: Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door. The operation also identified accounts on DrugHub and various forums, single-vendor shops, and encrypted messaging services.
Global Seizures
Worldwide, authorities seized approximately 5.7 metric tons of illicit drugs, including fentanyl and other opioids, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA. The operation also resulted in the confiscation of 38 pill presses and 209 firearms.
The European share of the operation included more than €60 million in cash and cryptocurrencies, alongside 950 kilograms of drugs and 57 firearms. The United States portion accounted for more than €150 million ($166 million) in cash and cryptocurrencies, plus more than 4.8 metric tons of drugs and 152 firearms.
Cryptocurrency Connections
While officials did not specify how much of the $234 million total was cryptocurrency, individual cases revealed digital payment methods. Alexander Green, 32, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, allegedly operated a vendor called STARLABS on DrugHub, described as a Monero-only dark web market. The group has been linked to two overdose deaths.
Criminal networks may operate across borders and in the shadows of the Dark Web, but they cannot operate without money.
In a separate case, brothers Stanislav Chernyshov, 30, and Vladislav Chernyshov, 35, allegedly ran the vendor "BarbaraWhite," selling counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with nitazenes. Court documents described bitcoin transfers tied to their account and the Nemesis market.
Ongoing Investigations
Operation TorNado led to 132 arrests in the United States, 59 in the United Kingdom, 45 in Hungary and 41 in Germany, with additional arrests in France, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Austria, Ireland, Czechia, Australia and Finland.
Federal prosecutions are underway in more than 20 districts, though officials noted that a number of investigations continue to identify individuals behind remaining dark web accounts. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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