Operation TorNado Seizes $234 Million, Leads to 354 Arrests

U.S. authorities and international partners announced Nov. 12 that a darknet drug crackdown across 14 countries led to 354 arrests and about $234 million in cash and cryptocurrency seizures.

The operation ran from May 2025 through October 2026. Investigators seized about 5.7 metric tons of drugs, including a significant share of fentanyl, and recovered 209 firearms. U.S. authorities made 132 arrests, seized 4.8 metric tons of drugs and confiscated $166 million in assets.

Arrests outside the United States included 59 in the United Kingdom, 45 in Hungary and 41 in Germany. European operations accounted for close to a metric ton of seized drugs and over €60 million in cash and crypto.

The operation targeted opioid trafficking networks and vendors and buyers active on dark web marketplaces previously compromised by law enforcement. It follows earlier Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement team operations, Operation SpecTor in 2023 and Operation RapTor in 2025.