DoJ operation TorNado arrests 354 and seizes $234 million in cash and crypto
The sweep, coordinated by the FBI-led JCODE team, also seized 5.7 metric tons of drugs, 38 pill presses and 209 firearms across 14 countries.
By Divyansh Mishra, YourKhabri Desk1 min readlaw enforcementdark webcrypto seizureoperation tornadodrug trafficking
Key takeaways
- 1354 arrests made across 14 countries
- 2More than $234 million seized in cash and crypto
- 3Operation ran from May 2025 to October 2026
- 4132 arrests in the United States
- 5Europol put the US share at over €150 million
The US Justice Department and Europol announced Thursday that Operation TorNado resulted in 354 arrests and the seizure of more than $234 million in cash and virtual currencies. The sweep, coordinated by the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement team, covered activity from May 2025 through October 2026.
The operation targeted vendors and buyers on five dark-web markets already shut down by authorities, including Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door, as well as accounts on the DrugHub forum. Seizures included about 5.7 metric tons of illicit drugs, 38 pill presses and 209 firearms. Europol said agencies in 14 countries worked together, with forensic and blockchain analysts tracing the financial flows.
Arrests were distributed across 14 nations. The United States accounted for 132 detainees, the United Kingdom 59, Hungary 45 and Germany 41, with additional arrests in France, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Austria, Ireland, Czechia, Australia and Finland. Prosecutors have filed charges in more than 20 US districts.
Europol estimated the European share of the financial haul at over €60 million, while the US share exceeded €150 million, roughly $166 million. The agency did not separate cash from cryptocurrency, and no specific coin was named in the totals. Court filings referenced Monero-only transactions on DrugHub and bitcoin transfers linked to the Nemesis market, confirming that both privacy-focused and mainstream coins were used.
FBI Director Kash Patel called the takedown the largest inter-agency operation against dark-web drug vendors and buyers to date. IRS Criminal Investigation chief Jarod Koopman added that criminal networks may operate across borders, but they cannot operate without money. Both officials pointed to the financial disruption as a core objective.
Federal prosecutions are now underway, and investigators say additional inquiries continue to identify remaining participants. The Justice Department has not disclosed how much of the $234 million seizure was in cash versus cryptocurrency, leaving the exact composition of the digital-asset forfeiture unclear.
Reported and edited by the YourKhabri desk under our editorial policy. Nothing here is investment advice.