US Attorney General Announces Unprecedented Operation Against Opioid and Fentanyl Traffickers on the Dark Web
The US Attorney General announced the largest historical raid against opioid traffickers on the dark web.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Washington, Nov 12 (KUNA) – U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced today the execution of “Operation Tornado,” an international operation he described as “the largest raid in history” targeting opioid and fentanyl traffickers on the dark web. The operation resulted in more than 350 arrests worldwide, along with the seizure of drugs, weapons, and cash and cryptocurrency totaling over $234 million.
Blanche said at a press conference that the operation was “a coordinated international effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies,” and emphasized that it was the largest raid campaign in the history of the Joint Opioid and Dark Web Task Force. It targeted drug sellers on the dark web who had sold their products to tens of thousands of residents in the United States.
According to Blanche, the operation resulted in “354 arrests,” as well as the seizure of “5.7 tons of drugs, 209 firearms, and $234 million in cryptocurrency and cash.” He added, “Thanks to our partnership with law enforcement agencies at the local, federal, and international levels – through the Joint Task Force on Combating Opioids and Criminal Activity on the Dark Web – Operation Tornado succeeded in disrupting traffickers in dark web markets,” reaffirming the commitment to “bring those involved in drug trafficking to justice.”
He stressed that his department “will continue to protect the American people from deadly synthetic drugs and pursue criminal elements around the world who threaten the lives of Americans.”
In parallel with the press conference, the Department of Justice stated in a bulletin that its Joint Opioid and Dark Web Task Force carried out Operation Tornado in cooperation with Europol, “in a coordinated international effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies.” It added that the operation, conducted in the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, demonstrated the ongoing partnership between the task force and the agency in combating the illegal sale of drugs and other prohibited goods and services on the dark web. (End)
