Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, announces a worldwide crackdown on opioid trafficking on the darknet with FBI Director Christopher Wray, center, and DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea, during a press conference at the Department of Justice, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 in Washington. Law enforcement officials have arrested 179 people and seized more than $6.5 million. The operation announced Tuesday mainly occurred in the U.S. and in Europe. Rosen said the takedown showed “there will be no safe haven for drug dealing in cyberspace.” (Olivier Douliery/Pool via AP)
By Michael Balsamo
Law enforcement officials arrested 179 people and seized more than $6.5 million in a worldwide crackdown on opioid trafficking on the darknet, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday.
The operation, which mainly occurred in the U.S. and in Europe, comes more than a year after officials took down the "Wall Street Market," which was believed to be one of the largest illegal online marketplaces on the darknet.
The darknet is a part of the internet hosted within an encrypted network and accessible only through specialized anonymity-providing tools, most notably the Tor Browser.
As part of the initiative, law enforcement officials seized over $6.5 million in cash and virtual currency, in addition to 500 kilograms of drugs, the Justice Department said. About 275 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and other opioids, had been seized in the U.S.
The arrests include 121 made in the U.S., two in Canada, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the United Kingdom, three in Australia, and one in Sweden. The Justice Department said its investigation was ongoing and investigators were still working to identify other individuals behind darknet accounts.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said the takedown showed "there will be no safe haven for drug dealing in cyberspace."
Nine-year-old Bobbi Wilson of New Jersey has caught the attention of the Yale School of Public Health for her commitment to exterminating spotted lanternflies. Last year, while spraying the bugs in her neighborhood, a neighbor called police on the little girl.
First responders fired after video of police beating Tyre Nichols was released, 10 people show in Lanland, Fla. and winter storm is causing travel troubles. Here is everything you Need2Know for January 31, 2023.
New Mexico District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies on Tuesday is set to file involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
TV actresses Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams smile at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 1979. The duo play television's "Laverne and Shirley." (AP Photo/George Brich)
