150 Arrested on the Darknet; $31 Million Seized in Global Illegal Drug Trafficking Sting by US-Europe Groups

(Photo : Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP / Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate speaks about Operation Dark HunTor, a joint criminal opioid and darknet enforcement operation, during a press conference at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on October 26, 2021. - Police around the world arrested 150 suspects, including several high-profile targets, involved in buying or selling illegal goods online in one of the largest-ever stings targeting the dark web, Europol said. HunTOR also recovered millions of euros in cash and bitcoin, as well as drugs and guns.

The United States Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that 150 people worldwide have been taken into custody and have been charged with drug trafficking and other illegal activities in a massive law enforcement initiative that targeted operations on the Darknet.

The collaborative global effort, dubbed as "Operation Dark HunTor," operated across multinational agencies and included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its counterparts in Australia and Europe. The agencies targeted Darknet drug traffickers and other criminals in multiple countries, including Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Massive Darknet Drug Trafficking Sting

Authorities explain that the Darknet is a part of the internet that cannot be indexed by search engines and can only be accessed through the use of special browsers. Due to the difficulty of getting into the Darknet and how hard it is for law enforcement personnel to monitor operations within websites that sell illegal items or services have swarmed the dark side of the online world.

Authorities have seized more than $31.6 million in cash and virtual currencies and roughly 234 kilograms of drugs from various criminals worldwide. The list of illegal items includes amphetamines, cocaine, opioids, and MDMA. The operation lasted for 10 months and the Justice Department said investigators were also able to secure over 200,000 pills of ecstasy, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methamphetamine, CBS News reported.

Out of all the arrested individuals, 65 were from the United States, 47 were in Germany, 24 were from the United Kingdom, four were found in Italy, four were in the Netherlands, three were arrested in France, two were in Switzerland, and one was located in Bulgaria.

In a statement, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that investigators also discovered that darknet vendors were managing fake laboratories in their home countries. The facilities were used to manufacture fake pills that were designed to look like legitimate, prescription pain pills.

However, the fraudulent drugs that were made contained fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other illicit narcotics. The illegal activities were discovered in the part of the internet that was hosted inside an encrypted network, Fox News reported.

Millions Worth of Drugs and Money

On top of the illegal drugs and millions worth of cash and digital currencies, investigators also found 45 guns among the criminals. Authorities said the operation was specifically designed to prioritize illegal drug traffickers who used the darknet as their method of communication with clients and customers.

Officials said that the massive network of illicit drug trade fueled the ongoing opioid crisis that is ravaging communities. Despite the large-scale sting, the Justice Department said the investigation was still ongoing and that investigators were still working to identify any other individuals involved in the darknet accounts.

Investigators were particularly troubled by the massive surge of opioid sales on the darknet during the coronavirus pandemic. Monaco said that since the beginning of the health crisis, more people have turned to the darknet to buy drugs.

"Before I close, I want to address those who remain on the darknet, those who are peddling illegal drugs and thinking they are safe behind layers of digital anonymity. My message to you is simple: There is no dark internet. We can and we will shine a light," said Monaco, NBC Chicago reported.