U.S. and international law enforcement agencies have arrested 288 people and seized more than $53 million U.S. of cash and cryptocurrencies as part of a “dark web” crackdown.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland called the raid, known as “Operation SpecTor,” Unprecedented in its size and scope.
“The Justice Department is cracking down on criminal cryptocurrency transactions,” said Garland at a news conference announcing the arrests.
Operation SpecTor refers to the dark web browsing protocol, and the law enforcement action resulted in the seizure of a dark web marketplace called “Monopoly Market.”
The dark web refers to a part of the internet that is only accessible using special software, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous and difficult to trace.
The Justice Department said 153 domestic U.S. suspects have been arrested, including a California man who allegedly sold nearly $2 million U.S. worth of fentanyl and methamphetamines on the dark web.
Operation SpecTor is part of the same law enforcement efforts that disrupted dark web marketplace Hydra in 2022 and online identity theft site Genesis Market earlier this year.
Garland said law enforcement agencies from Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom were involved in the latest raid.
“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,” said the U.S. Attorney General.
