FBI Says Global Operation Led to 270 Arrests Targeting Dark-Web Drug Trafficking

Arrests were made in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the United States, officials say.

An FBI agent walks toward a crime scene, in this file photo. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday announced that 270 people were arrested and that hundreds of pounds of fentanyl were seized as part of an operation targeting drug traffickers on darknet websites.

The arrests were made in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States under “Operation RapTor,” according to the FBI. The name of the operation refers to the Tor software and browser that allows for anonymous web browsing and to access darkweb, or darknet, websites that are normally not accessible through standard browsers or search engines.