Bitcoin Magazine
The Justice Department and Europol announced Thursday that Operation TorNado resulted in 354 arrests and the recovery of over $234 million in combined cash and virtual currencies. The FBI described the sweep as the largest-ever takedown of dark web drug buyers and vendors.
This operation was spearheaded by the department’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team, an FBI-led unit formed in 2018. Authorities noted that Operation TorNado is the sixth and most comprehensive internationally coordinated effort of its kind, following last year’s Operation RapTor. The sweep spanned from May 2025 to October 2026.
Working alongside agencies in 14 countries, Europol issued a simultaneous statement. The sweep focused on vendors and buyers operating across five dark web marketplaces previously seized by law enforcement: Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom, and Tor2Door. Furthermore, officials tracked accounts on DrugHub, forums, encrypted messaging apps, and single-vendor shops.
Law enforcement seized roughly 5.7 metric tons of illegal drugs worldwide—including fentanyl and other opioids, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA/ecstasy—alongside 209 firearms and 38 pill presses. Neither Europol nor the Justice Department separated the $234 million total into distinct cash and cryptocurrency amounts, nor did they specify bitcoin or other individual coins in their official figures.
According to Europol, the European portion of the operation accounted for more than €60 million in cash and cryptocurrencies, 57 firearms, and 950 kilograms of drugs. Meanwhile, the U.S. share totaled more than €150 million (equivalent to $166 million) in cash and crypto, alongside 152 firearms and over 4.8 metric tons of drugs. These regional monetary totals also lump cash and crypto together. Europol highlighted that its blockchain and forensic analysis teams played a role in tracing illicit transactions.
Individual cases point to Monero and bitcoin
Court documents released with the announcement and the featured DOJ cases provide the only specific insight into how vendors received payments.
In June, 32-year-old Alexander Green of Jacksonville, North Carolina, was arrested and charged in the Southern District of Ohio with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances containing fentanyl. The Justice Department stated he allegedly ran a DrugHub vendor known as STARLABS—described as a Monero-exclusive dark web market—with connections to two fatal overdoses. A criminal complaint notes that undercover purchases from STARLABS were transacted “in exchange for cryptocurrency.” If convicted, Green faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
In a separate case in Florida, brothers Stanislav Chernyshov (30) and Vladislav Chernyshov (35) face charges in the Eastern District of Virginia for conspiracy to distribute Schedule I synthetic opioids. Prosecutors allege the pair operated the “BarbaraWhite” vendor account, selling nitazene-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills and mailing more than 1,000 packages to 49 states. A search-warrant affidavit highlights bitcoin transactions linked to this account and the Nemesis marketplace. Each brother faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
132 arrests in the United States, and more work ahead
Operation TorNado resulted in 132 arrests domestically, alongside 59 in the United Kingdom, 45 in Hungary, and 41 in Germany, with additional arrests taking place in France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovenia, Austria, Ireland, Czechia, Finland, and Australia. The Justice Department indicated that multiple investigations remain active to unmask the individuals operating remaining dark web profiles.
FBI Director Kash Patel characterized Operation TorNado as “the largest interagency takedown of Dark Web drug vendors and buyers to date.” Jarod Koopman, Chief of IRS Criminal Investigation—which participated through JCODE—emphasized the financial tracking aspect: “Criminal networks may operate across borders and in the shadows of the Dark Web, but they cannot operate without money.”
Federal prosecutions are active across more than 20 districts. An indictment or complaint serves merely as an allegation of criminal activity, and all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.
The announcements left open the exact proportion of the $234 million comprised of cryptocurrency, or how much of that total was bitcoin, as officials have not disclosed a breakdown. Available records for Operation TorNado show aggregated cash-and-crypto seizure figures, court papers referencing bitcoin transactions, and at least one featured case tied to a Monero-exclusive marketplace.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Operation TorNado?
Operation TorNado was an internationally coordinated law enforcement sweep targeting dark web drug vendors and buyers, led by the FBI’s JCODE team and Europol.
How many arrests and seizures were made?
The operation resulted in 354 arrests and the seizure of over $234 million in cash and virtual currencies.
Which dark web markets were targeted?
Targets included users on five previously seized markets—Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom, and Tor2Door—as well as accounts on DrugHub, forums, single-vendor shops, and encrypted messaging apps.
What specific cryptocurrencies were mentioned?
While officials did not break down the total $234 million into specific coin types, court papers and case details referenced bitcoin transfers and a Monero-only market called STARLABS.
