EL7.AI
CryptoMedium•13 November 2026•
2 min read

Operation TorNado Arrests 354 People, Seizes More Than $234 Million in Cash, Drugs

Key Facts

1Operation TorNado arrested 354 people in connection with tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods and services.
2Seizures of cash and virtual currencies combined exceeded $234 million.
3Authorities seized about 5.7 metric tons of drugs, 38 pill presses and 209 firearms.
4Federal prosecutions are underway in more than 20 judicial districts.

The U.S. Justice Department and Europol announced the results of Operation TorNado on November 12, 2026, targeting networks that used dark web markets to sell fentanyl, opioids and other illicit drugs. The operation resulted in 354 arrests, including drug sellers and people accused of fraud. The department said those arrested were linked to tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods and services. Federal prosecutions are also underway in more than 20 judicial districts. The Justice Department described the operation as targeting drug dealers and buyers through those markets.

The combined value of seized cash and virtual currencies exceeded $234 million, according to the Justice Department, which did not specify each category’s share of the total. Seizures included about 5.7 metric tons of drugs, as well as 38 pill presses and 209 firearms. The drugs included fentanyl and other opioids, along with methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA. The department said the results came as part of the operation announced on November 12. The operation thus combined seizures of money, drugs, equipment and firearms across an international scope.

FBI Director Kash Patel said TorNado was “the largest joint operation to date against dark web drug sellers and buyers.” U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the operation “disrupted dark web market sellers and will bring drug trafficking defendants to justice.” The Justice Department says the operation began after intelligence was gathered following the takedown of markets and suppliers in the earlier JCODE operation. Investigations targeted accounts on markets including Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door, as well as DrugHub and other markets. The department said a number of investigations remain underway to identify the people behind dark web accounts.

In one case announced by the department, two brothers were arrested in Florida on suspicion of operating a dark web vendor under the name BarbaraWhite. The account is accused of selling counterfeit oxycodone pills contaminated with synthetic nitazene opioids. The department said the manufacturing and shipping operation linked to the case sent more than 1,000 packages across 49 states. The case is part of the federal prosecutions underway in more than 20 judicial districts. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, according to the Justice Department.