The suspects were identified through coordinated investigations based on intelligence from the takedowns of the dark web marketplaces Nemesis, Tor2Door, Bohemia and Kingdom Markets. Many had conducted thousands of sales on illicit marketplaces, using encryption tools and cryptocurrencies to cover their tracks — but law enforcement closed in.This international action follows Operation SpecTor in 2023, which led to 288 arrests. Together, these operations show the increasing ability of law enforcement to penetrate the dark web’s cloak of secrecy.Dark web vendors unmaskedThe 270 arrests took place in the following countries:United States of America: 130Germany: 42United Kingdom: 37France: 29South Korea: 19Austria: 4The Netherlands: 4Brazil: 3Switzerland: 1Spain: 1Investigations are ongoing to trace and apprehend more individuals involved in dark web crime.Millions seized, weapons recoveredIn parallel with the arrests, officers seized:Over EUR 184 million in cash and cryptocurrenciesOver 2 tonnes of drugs, including amphetamines, cocaine, ketamine, opioids and cannabisOver 180 firearms, along with imitation weapons, tasers and knives12 500 counterfeit productsMore than 4 tonnes of illegal tobaccoThese seizures represent a major disruption to the criminal supply chains that feed the dark web economy.Europol's roleEuropol supported the action by compiling and analysing intelligence packages based on data from the three seized marketplaces. These packages were then shared with national authorities in the framework of the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce, hosted at Europol’s headquarters, to enable targeted investigations.This operational model, also used in 2023’s Operation SpecTor, demonstrates that the takedown of a criminal platform is not the end of the story — it is the beginning of follow-up investigations aimed at identifying and arresting high-value vendors.Edvardas ŠilerisHead of Europol’s European Cybercrime CentreOperation RapTor shows that the dark web is not beyond the reach of law enforcement. Through close cooperation and intelligence sharing, officers across four continents identified and arrested suspects, sending a clear message to those who think they can hide in the shadows. Europol will continue working with our partners to make the internet safer for everyone.Magnus BrunnerEuropean Commissioner for Internal Affairs and MigrationThis operation is proof of how criminal gangs operate today: offline and online, internationally and locally, using technology to their full advantage. To counter this, coordinated action is essential. And that is exactly the added value Europol provides. Thank you and congratulations to all the authorities involved. To stay effective in a rapidly changing world, we also need to better support our law enforcement agencies to make them future proof. And that is exactly what we aim to do with ProtectEU, our Internal Security Strategy. We also need to strengthen Europol — with more funding and with an updated mandate.Changing tactics, same threatRecent operations are reshaping the dark web landscape. With traditional marketplaces under increasing pressure, criminal actors are shifting to smaller, single-vendor shops — sites run by individual sellers to avoid marketplace fees and minimise exposure.Illegal drugs remain the top commodity sold on the dark web, but 2023 also saw a surge in prescription drug trafficking and a rise in fraudulent services, including fake hitmen and bogus listings designed to scam buyers. Despite these shifts, the message is clear: no platform is beyond the reach of coordinated, international law enforcement efforts.This global action was made possible thanks to the close cooperation between the following authorities:Austria: Criminal Intelligence Service Austria with various Provincial Criminal Police Departments (Bundeskriminalamt und Landeskriminalämter)Brazil: Civil Police of the State of Pará (Polícia Civil do Estado do Pará) and Civil Police of the State of São Paulo (Polícia Civil do Estado do São Paulo)France: French Customs (Douane), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale)Germany: Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt); Prosecutor’s Office in Cologne – Central Cybercrime Contact Point (Staatsanwaltschaft Köln, Zentral- und Ansprechstelle Cybercrime); Central Criminal Investigation in Oldenburg (Zentrale Kriminalinspektion Oldenburg); various police departments (Dienststellen der Länderpolizeien); German Customs Investigation (Zollfahndungsämter)The Netherlands: Team High Tech Crime (National Investigations and Special Operations (NIS) and Post Interventie Team (PIT); National Intelligence, Expertise and Operational Support (NIEO)Spain: National Police (Policía Nacional)South Korea: Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office – Darknet Investigations UnitSwitzerland: Zurich Cantonal Police (Kantonspolizei Zürich) and Public Prosecutor's Office II of the Canton of Zurich (Staatsanwaltschaft II)United Kingdom: National Crime Agency (NCA); National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC)United States: Department of Justice (DOJ) with the JCODE partner agencies (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)m Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-Office of Criminal Investigations; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service (IRS)–Criminal Investigation; US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army-CID); Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Department of Justice (DOJ); Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN); Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)) 

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