The Department of Justice issued a press release through the office of public affairs to share the outcome of Operation DisrupTor. It’s a massive global dark web takedown resulted of over $6.5 million in cash and virtual currencies, 500 kilograms of drugs worldwide & 63 firearms. It has much more to add 274 kilograms of drugs, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA, and other medicine containing addictive substances in the United States.

Operation DisrupTor led by a coordinated international effort to eliminate opioid trafficking on the Darknet has 179 dark web drug traffickers behind the bars. The DOJ is still investigating the matter and expecting more online drug traffickers to be found out. Out of 179 arrests who sold illicit goods and services across the United States and Europe, 121 were found in the US, 42 from Germany, 4 in the UK, 8 in the Netherlands, 3 in Austria and 1 from Sweden.

“Criminals selling fentanyl on the Darknet should pay attention to Operation DisrupTor,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. “The arrest of 179 of them in seven countries—with the seizure of their drug supplies and their money as well—shows that there will be no safe haven for drug dealing in cyberspace.”

In the press release, the office of public affairs (DOJ) has also stated that “Darknet vendor accounts were identified and attributed to real individuals selling illicit goods on Darknet market sites such as AlphaBay, Dream, WallStreet, Nightmare, Empire, White House, DeepSea, Dark Market and others. By leveraging complementary partnerships and surging resources across the U.S. government and Europol, Operation DisrupTor was used to significantly disrupt the online opioid trade and send a strong message that criminals operating on the Darknet are not beyond the reach of law enforcement.”

Operation Disruptor started way back in May 2019 when German police seized Wall Street Market, known as one of the biggest and popular underground marketplaces of dark web drug. This operation was a joint effort of the Department of Justice, the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE).

DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea said in a statement “The 21st century has ushered in a tidal wave of technological advances that have changed the way we live. But as technology has evolved, so too have the tactics of drug traffickers. Riding the wave of technological advances, criminals attempt to further hide their activities within the dark web through virtual private networks and tails, presenting new challenges to law enforcement in the enduring battle against illegal drugs. Operation DisrupTor demonstrates the ability of DEA and our partners to outpace these digital criminals in this ever-changing domain, by implementing innovative ways to identify traffickers attempting to operate anonymously and disrupt these criminal enterprises.”