U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in collaboration with Europol, the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement Team (JCODE), and various national and international partners, announced the results of Operation RapTOR on May 22. This operation, led by Europol, resulted in significant seizures, marking a historic achievement for JCODE.
The operation led to the confiscation of over $200 million in currency and digital assets, more than two metric tons of drugs—including 144 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics—and over 180 firearms. Law enforcement agencies across Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States made 270 arrests involving dark web vendors, buyers, and administrators.
Operation RapTOR was spearheaded by Europol’s European Cyber Crime Centre. It united the FBI-led JCODE team—which includes ICE HSI and law enforcement partners from several continents—to disrupt trafficking activities on the Darknet. The operation also resulted in the seizure of darknet infrastructure from marketplaces such as Nemesis, Tor2Door, Bohemia, and Kingdom Markets.
ICE acting Director Todd Lyons stated: “This record-breaking operation sends a clear message to every trafficker hiding behind a screen — your anonymity ends where our global reach begins.” Edvardas Šileris from Europol emphasized that “the dark web is not beyond the reach of law enforcement.”
In addition to these efforts under Operation RapTOR’s banner, Behrouz Parsarad was sanctioned by OFAC for his role as founder and operator of Nemesis Market following its seizure.
Attorney General Pam Bondi remarked: “This historic international seizure…will save lives.” FBI Director Kash Patel added that “the staggering success” demonstrates that their efforts are working effectively against illicit darknet trafficking.
DEA acting Administrator Robert Murphy warned traffickers that “no mask…can hide you from facing justice.” Chief Guy Ficco of IRS-CI highlighted this operation as a testament to global partnership power.
Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale stressed their commitment to bringing criminals to justice. Chad Menster from FDA OCI noted ongoing efforts to disrupt illegal drug sales on the dark web.
The impact of Operation RapTOR builds upon previous enforcement actions against dark web networks fueling crises like fentanyl trafficking. These efforts have involved multiple cases resulting in convictions for those operating illegal narcotics marketplaces online.
Robert Hammer from ICE HSI declared: “Cybercriminals think the Darknet makes them untouchable — we just proved they’re dead wrong.”
Operation RapTOR was supported by various U.S. agencies including DEA; FBI; FDA-OCI; IRS-CI; USPIS along with foreign partners such as Europol; Eurojust; law enforcement agencies from Austria through South Korea.
HSI remains at the forefront globally concerning investigations into cyber-related crimes utilizing state-of-the-art forensic technology provided by DHS Cyber Crimes Center (C3).
Individuals worldwide can report suspicious activity via ICE Tip Line available around-the-clock at 866-DHS-2-ICE. An indictment is merely an allegation until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
