Operation RapTor: 270 Arrested in Global Crackdown on Dark Web Vendors

Global crackdown: Operation RapTor leads to 270 arrests, millions seized as law enforcement targets dark web drug, weapon, and crypto vendors.

In one of the largest global law enforcement actions against dark web crime to date, authorities from ten countries have arrested 270 individuals involved in drug trafficking, weapons sales, and the distribution of counterfeit goods online. The operation has been dubbed Operation RapTor.

Coordinated by Europol and the U.S. Department of Justice’s JCODE task force, the operation followed months of intelligence gathering after the takedowns of several dark web marketplaces: Nemesis, Incognito, Tor2Door, Bohemia, and Kingdom Market. These takedowns gave investigators access to key infrastructure and transaction data, which they used to identify vendors and buyers across the globe.

A Multi-Continent Crackdown

The arrests span the United States (130), Germany (42), the United Kingdom (37), France (29), South Korea (19) and several other nations. Authorities also confiscated ...