190/68 Monday, May 26, 2025
Europol, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies from 10 countries, has successfully carried out Operation RapTor, resulting in the arrest of 270 suspects involved in the illegal trade of drugs, weapons, and counterfeit goods on the Dark Web. The suspects were linked to marketplaces such as Nemesis, Bohemia, Kingdom Markets, and Tor2Door, and were identified through data obtained during the seizure of these platforms. Many had conducted thousands of illicit transactions using encryption and cryptocurrency.
Authorities seized over €184 million worth of assets, including cash and crypto, along with more than 2 tons of drugs, 180+ firearms, 12,500 counterfeit products, and over 4 tons of illegal tobacco. Most suspects were arrested in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Europol emphasized that Operation RapTor builds on the success of Operation SpecTor in 2023, stating that shutting down illegal marketplaces is not the end but the starting point for identifying high-value targets.
Edvardas Šileris, Head of the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol, stated:
“Operation RapTor shows that the Dark Web is not beyond the reach of law enforcement.”
He reaffirmed Europol’s commitment to collaborating with partners to make the internet safer. Despite the takedown of major marketplaces, criminal groups are increasingly shifting toward single-vendor shops, especially among drug dealers and counterfeiters—a trend that cybercrime units worldwide continue to monitor closely.
