Nearly 300 people were arrested in a record-breaking international drug enforcement operation targeting fentanyl and opioid traffickers on the dark web, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Law enforcement made 288 arrests and seized 117 illegal firearms, 850 kilograms of drugs, including 54 kilograms of fentanyl or narcotics containing fentanyl, and $53.4 million in cash and digital currencies as part of Operation Spectror (JCODETors) of the Joint Criminal Opioid and Black Network Enforcement. . According to DOJ officials, the number of arrests and seizures exceeded that of any previous JCODE operation.
The Justice Department said Operation SpecTor was conducted in the United States, Europe and South America in an “unprecedented international enforcement operation.” Across the U.S., officials made 153 arrests, seized 104 illegal guns and seized more than 200,000 pills, including those containing fentanyl.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at a news conference at the US Department of Justice on May 2, 2023 in Washington, DC Garland updated reporters on the department’s investigative operation targeting fentanyl and opioid traffickers in the dark web (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Operation SpecTor was a coordinated international law enforcement effort, spanning three continents, to disrupt drug trafficking on the dark web and represents the most funds seized and the largest number of arrests of any operation coordinated international effort led by the Department of Justice against drug traffickers on the dark web,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“Our message to dark web criminals is this: You may try to hide in the furthest reaches of the Internet, but the Department of Justice will find you and hold you accountable for your crimes,” he added.
A cursor is placed over the button that reads “drugs” on a darknet web page. (Sebastian Gollnow/Photo Alliance via Getty Images)
The operation targeted people suspected of selling drugs online, including counterfeit oxycodone drugs containing fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid. In many cases, the drugs were bought and sold using cryptocurrency. Some of the traffickers were linked to violent Mexican drug cartels, including those in Sinaloa and Jalisco, officials said.
Officials said the Justice Department remains committed to cracking down on illegal Internet activity.
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An evidence bag containing the synthetic opioid fentanyl disguised as oxycodone. (Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“The dark web isn’t just a marketplace for illegal and dangerous drugs. It’s also a one-stop shop for almost every type of criminal product or service out there, from stolen online credentials to abuse material. child sex, from fraudulent passports and IDs to computer hacking. tools and more,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate.
When asked if the DOJ was seeing a reduction in Internet drug trafficking, Garland acknowledged to reporters that any break in crime after a major law enforcement action may be temporary as criminals reorganize
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“There’s a little bit of a mole strike issue here, and we’re hitting as hard as we can,” Garland said.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
