By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – A global operation against opioid trafficking on a secret internet part called DarkNet resulted in about 150 arrests across the United States, Europe and seizure drugs, cash, guns and other items, U.S. authorities and European authorities announced on Tuesday.

Operation Dark HunTor is the U.S. Justice Department’s crackdown on cyberspace drug sales. Lisa Monaco (Deputy U.S. attorney general) warned that there was no dark Internet. “We can, and we will shine a light on it.”

Jean-Philippe Lecouffe (deputy director, international police agency Europol) lauded Operation Dark HunTor for its “spectacular” results. According to Lecouffe, the results of Operation Dark HunTor send a signal that law enforcement can reach anyone, even those on the dark Web. DarkNet and darkweb are both terms that refer to a portion of the internet only accessible via a specific web browser. It also includes a variety of websites.

Overdoses of prescription painkillers or illegal drugs have caused an opioid epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands in America in just the last two decades. This is a serious public health problem.

150 individuals were arrested in connection with the Dark HunTor Operation. They are accused of being drug dealers and other criminals who have been involved in illegal sales.

The Justice Department reported that 65 Americans were arrested, with 47 being in Germany. 24 were in Britain. Fourteen each in Italy and the Netherlands. Two in Switzerland. One in Bulgaria.

In addition, the department stated that more than $31.6million was recovered in virtual and cash currencies. It also confiscated 45 firearms. In addition to counterfeit medicine, it said that approximately 234kg (515 lbs) of drug substances, which included more than 200,000 methamphetamine, fentanyl and oxycodone pills as well as counterfeit drugs were also seized.

Kenneth Polite is the head of Justice Department’s Criminal Division. He stated that this trafficking poses a threat to all countries and demands a coordinated response.

According to the Justice Department, this crackdown was based on operations that were conducted in early 2020 and late 2021 in order to stop dark web trafficking. According to the Justice Department, an international crackdown was launched against DarkMarket in January. DarkMarket is the largest international dark-web marketplace.