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Police arrested 270 suspects following an international law enforcement action codenamed 'Operation RapTor' that targeted dark web vendors and customers from ten countries.
National authorities in Europe, South America, Asia, and the United States have also seized over €184 million in cash and cryptocurrency, more than 2 tonnes of drugs (including amphetamines, cocaine, ketamine, opioids, and cannabis), and over 180 firearms.
"A global law enforcement operation coordinated by Europol has struck a major blow to the criminal underground, with 270 arrests of dark web vendors and buyers across ten countries," Europol said on Thursday.
"Known as Operation RapTor, this international sweep has dismantled networks trafficking in drugs, weapons, and counterfeit goods, sending a clear signal to criminals hiding behind the illusion of anonymity."
Law enforcement identified the suspects (many linked to thousands of sales on illicit platforms) using intelligence collected after the takedowns of multiple dark web marketplaces, including Nemesis, Tor2Door, Bohemia, and Kingdom Market.
Most of the arrested suspects were apprehended in the United States (130), Germany (42), the United Kingdom (37), France (29), and South Korea (19), while 13 others were detained in the Netherlands, Austria, Brazil, Spain, and Switzerland.
Authorities involved in this joint action continue to analyze evidence collected in previous operations to trace and apprehend other suspects linked to dark web crime.
"Operation RapTor shows that the dark web is not beyond the reach of law enforcement," added Edvardas Šileris, the Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre.
"Through close cooperation and intelligence sharing, officers across four continents identified and arrested suspects, sending a clear message to those who think they can hide in the shadows. Europol will continue working with our partners to make the internet safer for everyone."
This joint action follows Operation SpecTor in 2023, which led to the arrest of 288 other dark web vendors and buyers and the seizure of €50.8 million ($55.9M) in cash and cryptocurrency.
In 2020, another international sting dubbed "DisrupTor" targeted dark web vendors and led to 179 arrests, while Operation Dark HunTOR resulted in busting 150 more high-volume darknet vendors.
In April 2022, German police and U.S. authorities shut down Hydra, the world's largest dark web marketplace dedicated to selling drugs and money laundering, with over 19,000 seller accounts that were serving more than 17 million customers worldwide.
