Europol Operation RapTor: 270 Arrested in Global Dark Web Crackdown

Operation RapTor, led by Europol and involving agencies from 10 countries, has resulted in 270 arrests of dark web drug and weapons traffickers. Authorities seized over €184M in assets, 2 tonnes of drugs, and 180+ firearms, following intelligence gathered from prior darknet marketplace takedowns, including Tor2Door and Kingdom Market.

Global Law Enforcement Sweep
Key Outcomes:
• 270 suspects arrested
• €184M ($207M) in cash and cryptocurrency seized
• 2+ tonnes of drugs: cocaine, ketamine, amphetamines, opioids, cannabis
• 180+ firearms confiscated
• Countries involved:
○ 🇺🇸 U.S. (130 arrests)
○ 🇩🇪 Germany (42)
○ 🇬🇧 U.K. (37)
○ 🇫🇷 France (29)
○ 🇰🇷 South Korea (19)
○ 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇧🇷 Brazil, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇨🇭 Switzerland (13 combined)

How They Were Caught:
• Operation Name: RapTor (short for Rapid Action against Platform-based Trade of Restricted items)
• Based on intelligence from:
○ Seized dark web marketplaces: Nemesis, Tor2Door, Bohemia, Kingdom Market
• Suspects linked to thousands of illicit online sales

Evidence & Tools:
• Digital forensics and crypto tracing helped track buyers/sellers
• Cross-border intelligence sharing was key
• Follow-up to prior operations:
○ Operation SpecTor (2023): 288 arrests, €50.8M seized
○ Operation DisrupTor (2020): 179 arrests
○ Operation Dark HunTOR (2021): 150 arrests
○ Hydra Takedown (2022): Shutdown of the largest darknet marketplace with 19,000 sellers & 17M customers

Quotes:
“The dark web is not beyond the reach of law enforcement.”
— Edvardas Šileris, Europol EC3 Chief
“This operation sends a clear message to criminals hiding behind the illusion of anonymity.”
— Europol

Why It Matters:
• Demonstrates growing global capacity to dismantle darknet infrastructure
• Undermines the anonymity illusion among cybercriminals
• Supports long-term efforts by Europol, JCODE, and EC3 to combat opioid trafficking, illegal arms trade, and money laundering

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