The Department of Justice has made a record number of arrests and seizures for a coordinated international scheme that targeted drug trafficking on the dark web, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Tuesday.
The DOJ’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement team made 288 arrests in its Operation SpecTor, which cracked down on the trafficking of fentanyl and other opioids. The operation also saw the seizure of 117 firearms, 850 kilograms of drugs, and $53.4 million in cash and virtual currencies.
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“The Justice Department is cracking down on criminal cryptocurrency transactions and the online criminal marketplaces that enable them,” Garland said in remarks. “This 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.”
The operation was an international effort that spanned across the United States, South America, and Europe. It also stretched into eight countries. Of the 288 arrests, 153 occurred in the U.S., the department said. The U.S. also seized 104 of the illegal guns and over 200,000 pills, including those containing fentanyl.
The U.S. leg of the operation, which was led by the FBI, included joint work with the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and more than 30 U.S. attorneys’ offices.
Garland said that drug traffickers use the dark web to sell illegal drugs in exchange for cryptocurrency because they believe they can “operate outside the bounds of the law.” The drugs could be advertised as brand-name pharmaceuticals, but the pills would be laced with fentanyl.
“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,” Garland said.
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Members of Congress have recently increased their efforts to stem the illegal flow of fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) released a proposal on Tuesday called “The Fight Against Fentanyl.” The proposal includes a number of new operations and expanding existing assets through increasing the Department of Homeland Security fiscal 2024 budget.
One goal is to increase the rate at which passenger vehicles are scanned while coming through the border. The intended increase would go from 40% of vehicles currently scanned to 65% by hiring 500 more Customs and Border Protection personnel, according to the proposal.
