THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Europol and law enforcement agencies in 14 countries arrested 354 dark web vendors and buyers in Operation TorNado, a coordinated crackdown that seized 5 tonnes of drugs and more than EUR 210 million in criminal assets, Europol announced on November 12, 2026.
Read the Europol release: https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/354-dark-web-vendors-and-buyers-arrested-in-europol-coordinated-global-crackdown
The operation targeted cybercrime, drug trafficking and firearms offences, according to the release.
Operation TorNado spanned from May 2025 to October 2026, according to the release.
The arrests came with hundreds of house searches worldwide, according to the release.
Five Marketplaces Taken Down, Vendors, And Buyers Identified
Operation TorNado built on earlier dark web operations including RapTor in 2025, SpecTor in 2023, Dark Huntor in 2021 and DisrupTor in 2020, according to the release.
The effort included a follow-up action identifying suspects after the takedown of five major dark marketplaces: Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door, according to the release.
Law enforcement also targeted vendors and buyers active on forums, single-vendor shops and encrypted messaging services, according to the release.
National authorities conducted independent investigations with Europol support, including cross-checks via SIENA and forensic analysis, according to the release.
132 U.S. Arrests, 59 In Britain, And 45 In Hungary
The United States recorded the most arrests with 132, followed by the United Kingdom with 59, Hungary with 45 and Germany with 41, according to the release.
France recorded 23 arrests, New Zealand 13, the Netherlands 12, Slovenia 11, Austria 6, Ireland 5, Czechia 4, and Australia and Finland 1 each, according to the release.
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Finland also conducted 159 interrogations in addition to its arrest, and Montenegro conducted one knock-and-talk visit, according to the release.
United States participants included the Department of Justice and JCODE partner agencies including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to the release.
Other participating agencies included Australia's Australian Federal Police, the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, France's National Gendarmerie and New Zealand Police, according to the release.
950 Kilograms In Europe, 4.8 Tonnes, And 152 Firearms In The United States
In European countries, authorities seized 950 kilograms of illicit drugs in total, according to the release.
The largest European quantities were 150 kilograms of amphetamines in Germany, 150 kilograms of ketamine in the United Kingdom, 40 kilograms of MDMA in the Netherlands and 50 kilograms of cannabis in France, as well as cocaine, according to the release.
Seizures also included psilocybin mushrooms, vapes containing THC and more than one million prescription tablets, according to the release.
European authorities also seized 57 firearms and ammunition, along with more than EUR 60 million in cash and cryptocurrencies, according to the release.
In the United States, authorities seized more than 4.8 metric tonnes of illicit drugs, 152 firearms and more than EUR 150 million (USD 166 million) in cash and cryptocurrencies, according to the release.
Europol provided on-the-spot support through deployments in Czechia and Slovenia, coordinated cases to prevent overlapping investigations, and used forensic and blockchain analysis to trace illicit transactions, according to the release.
The release states the operation highlighted trends in Europol's Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2026, including marketplaces fragmenting into specialised platforms, hybrid ecosystems mixing dark web forums with encrypted messaging, and disrupted markets being rapidly replaced.
National investigations supported by Europol continue from the identifications made in the operation, and anyone with information about dark web drug or firearms trafficking can report it to their national law enforcement agency or to Europol through its official reporting channels.
Sources Europol — Official News Release, November 12, 2026: https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/354-dark-web-vendors-and-buyers-arrested-in-europol-coordinated-global-crackdown
Transparency notes
Published: Nov 12, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.
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