Europol-coordinated TorNado operation: 354 arrests in 14 countries over dark web

Arrests across 14 countries

Police services in 14 countries arrested 354 people in Operation TorNado, an international action against networks trading on the dark web. US and European officials announced the results on Thursday, 12 November. Europol coordinated the operation, which ran from May 2025 to October 2026 and involved hundreds of police interventions around the world. The United States made the most arrests with 132, followed by the United Kingdom with 59, Hungary with 45, Germany with 41 and France with 23. Other reported figures are 13 arrests in New Zealand, 12 in the Netherlands, 11 in Slovenia, 6 in Austria, 5 in Ireland, 4 in Czechia, and one each in Australia and Finland. Police in Montenegro also carried out action that included visits to the homes of suspects.

United States132

United Kingdom59

Hungary45

Germany41

France23

United States

132 arrests

United Kingdom

59 arrests

Hungary

45 arrests

Germany

41 arrests

France

23 arrests

Data from the article text

Drugs, weapons and cash seized

In the United States, authorities seized more than 4.8 tonnes of drugs, 152 firearms and 150 million euros in cash and cryptocurrency, according to the Europol press release as reported. In Europe, the seizures came to almost one tonne of controlled substances, mainly amphetamines, ketamine, MDMA, cocaine and cannabis. iefimerida, reporting the Europol announcement, put the European total at about 950 kilograms. The largest single European hauls were 150 kilograms of amphetamines in Germany, 150 kilograms of ketamine in the United Kingdom, 40 kilograms of MDMA in the Netherlands and 50 kilograms of cannabis in France. The same report counted 57 firearms, more than 60 million euros in cash and cryptocurrency, psilocybin mushrooms, THC e-cigarettes and over a million prescription tablets across Europe. iefimerida's headline put the overall haul at almost 6 tonnes of drugs and assets.

Marketplaces and earlier operations

The investigation targeted suspects linked to five large illegal online marketplaces: Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door. Inquiries also reached sellers and buyers using specialised online forums, single-vendor online shops and encrypted messaging services. iefimerida described TorNado as a follow-up to earlier international operations, namely RapTor (2025), SpecTor (2023), Dark Huntor (2021) and DisrupTor (2020). The operation therefore continued a series of cases against dark web trade rather than a single takedown.

Officials on the threat

Europol's press release, as reported, said the operation showed how dark web markets keep adapting despite repeated takedowns. Christopher Raia, deputy director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said TorNado addressed one of the most urgent threats of the period, the trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly drugs through the dark web. He said investigators identified large sellers and dismantled key elements of the networks that had let them keep operating. Police services from Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States were among those involved.

Timeline

Operation TorNado ran from May 2025 until October 2026, according to the Europol announcement. US and European officials announced the results on Thursday, 12 November. The dates reported in the sources are set out in the timeline below.