Overview
- Authorities announced Thursday that Operation TorNado, a JCODE‑led probe that ran from May 2025 through October 2026, produced 354 arrests across 14 countries.
- Officials said the sweep seized about $234 million in combined cash and cryptocurrency, roughly 5.7 metric tons of drugs and 209 firearms, but did not break down how much of the money was crypto.
- U.S. teams made 132 arrests and seized about 4.8 metric tons of drugs and $166 million in assets while European partners seized nearly 1 metric ton of drugs and more than €60 million in cash and crypto.
- Court filings in individual cases point to payments using Monero and bitcoin and investigators said cross‑border blockchain forensics helped trace funds from dark‑web markets to real‑world accounts.
- Federal prosecutions are open in more than 20 U.S. districts, investigations to identify more suspects remain active, and analysts warn that darknet markets have a history of adapting after large takedowns.