Justice Department officials have detailed the results of Operation SpecTor – described by authorities as a globally coordinated effort spanning three continents to disrupt dark web fentanyl and opioid trafficking.
“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 highest number of arrests in any coordinated international action led by the Justice Department against drug traffickers on the dark web,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “Our message to criminals on the dark web is this: You can try to hide in the furthest reaches of the internet, but the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for your crimes.”
According to the DOJ, the agent’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team and international partners outlined an initiative that yielded 288 arrests while conducting more seizures than any prior operation producing 117 firearms, 850 kilograms of drugs, including 64 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics and $53.4 million in cash and virtual currencies.
The operation was conducted across the United States, Europe, and South America. It was a result of the continued partnership between JCODE and foreign law enforcement against the illegal sale of drugs and other illicit goods and services on the dark web.
“The availability of dangerous substances like fentanyl on dark net marketplaces is helping to fuel the crisis that has claimed far too many American lives,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “The FBI is proud to stand with our domestic and foreign partners as we continue to shine that light into the deepest corners of the dark net and hold those accountable who continue to peddle this poison around the world.”