23-5-2025 – Law enforcement agencies have struck a formidable blow against darknet drug syndicates, seizing $200 million in cash and digital currencies while apprehending 270 suspects across 10 nations, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The operation, christened RapTor, represents the most significant haul yet under the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) initiative, launched in 2018 to dismantle sophisticated criminal networks exploiting the internet’s shadows to peddle opioids. Authorities confiscated over two metric tons of narcotics, including 144 kilograms of fentanyl-laced substances, alongside 180 firearms and vast sums in cryptocurrency assets. The effort, orchestrated by the DOJ in tandem with Europol and a coalition of global agencies, targeted illicit marketplaces and vendors operating in countries including the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, South Korea, and the U.S.
Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the operation as a lifesaving triumph, declaring, “This landmark seizure of deadly drugs, firearms, and illicit funds sends a clear message: criminals cannot shield themselves behind digital veils or dark web anonymity.” The mission underscores mounting alarm over the role of cryptocurrencies in facilitating opioid trafficking and laundering profits. A March analysis by Chainalysis exposed an “on-chain fentanyl economy,” revealing that cartel-linked couriers channelled at least $5.5 million in stablecoins, such as USDT, to Chinese suppliers of fentanyl precursors. Similarly, TRM Labs reported that 97% of surveyed Chinese chemical vendors accepted cryptocurrency, cementing stablecoins as a linchpin of global trafficking networks.
Among the high-profile cases, U.S. prosecutors charged Iranian national Behrouz Parsarad, who operated Nemesis Market, a darknet hub for opioid sales that obscured profits through crypto wallets. Parsarad faces sanctions from the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, marking its first action as a J-CODE partner. In another case, Rui-Siang Lin, the architect of Incognito Market—described as a titan among online narcotics bazaars—pleaded guilty in December to charges of narcotics conspiracy, money laundering, and distributing misbranded medication.
Beyond drug trafficking, the operation casts light on broader cybercrime ecosystems. This week, Telegram dismantled Haowang Guarantee, a vast black market implicated in over $27 billion in illicit transactions across Asia’s digital scam networks. Blockchain analysts at Elliptic labelled it the most prolific crypto-driven black market ever documented, trafficking in laundered USDT, counterfeit IDs, and tools for large-scale fraud, often exploiting victims ensnared in scam compounds. In a related development, California authorities indicted Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, for fentanyl trafficking linked to a Sinaloa Cartel faction, with evidence pointing to crypto-based money laundering through Chinese intermediaries.
This coordinated global effort signals a resolute commitment to disrupting the technological underpinnings of organised crime, offering hope for curbing the devastating fentanyl epidemic while exposing the intricate web of digital and financial tools exploited by modern cartels.
