[Video] DOJ Announces Operation TorNado Results: 354 Arrested in 14-Country Dark Web Fentanyl Crackdown, 5 Tonnes of Drugs Seized
The U.S. Department of Justice held a press conference at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on November 12, where Attorney General Todd Blanche and senior federal law enforcement officials announced the results of Operation TorNado, a coordinated international enforcement effort. Europol said the same day that the operation, coordinated by Europol and Eurojust with law enforcement agencies from 14 countries, ran from May 2025 to October 2026 and targeted vendors and buyers on major dark web marketplaces, resulting in 354 arrests and hundreds of house searches worldwide, with 5 tonnes of drugs seized and more than EUR 210 million in criminal assets confiscated. The press conference is streaming live on the Justice Department's official YouTube channel; the stream began at 11:32 a.m. Pacific Time.
U.S. officials appearing at the press conference include FBI Deputy Director Christopher C. Raia, DEA Administrator Terrence Cole, Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale, HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon, IRS Criminal Investigation Director of Field Operations Michael Batdorf, and FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Deputy Director Fernando McMillan. The Justice Department describes the effort as the largest international law enforcement operation targeting opioid and fentanyl traffickers on the dark web.
A sign reading “Fentanyl Free America” stood behind the podium in the live feed. Speaking during the stream, an official said the threat is global in nature: a fentanyl precursor may originate overseas, be advertised through a dark web marketplace, be purchased with cryptocurrency and be shipped through multiple countries before reaching a buyer in the United States, and no single agency or country can address a threat of that scale alone. The official thanked partners across the Justice Department, in Europe and at the other domestic and international agencies represented, saying intelligence sharing and operational support were essential to the results announced.
The press conference is still under way. U.S.-specific figures and quotations from officials will follow the Justice Department's official release after the event; GSM will publish a follow-up story once the official transcript is available.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿特区的美国司法部总部大楼。画面：GSM联邦固定图库，美国司法部总部大楼照片。 / Photo: The headquarters building of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Image: GSM federal asset pack, Department of Justice headquarters photograph.
