Operation SpecTor: Seized Thousands of Pounds of Drugs and Arrested 288 People For Online Drug Sales!

Operation SpecTor seized 1,800 pounds of drugs and arrested 288 people for illicit online drug sales.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks about Operation SpecTor (Photo: Wisconsin Public Radio)

Operation SpecTor

Operation SpecTor began last 2021 and targeted dealers in the U.S., Europe, and South America. The operation seized more than 1,800 pounds of drugs and arrested 288 people in this years-long international operation, CBS News reported.

According to Justice Department, in addition to the seized thousands of pounds of drugs including more than 140 pounds of fentanyl-laced narcotics, $53.4 Million cryptocurrencies and cash were also confiscated. Remarkably, the fentanyl drug was responsible for the deaths of more than 71,238 Americans last 2021.

The Justice Department made it clear to the operators on the dark web, “You can try to hide on the internet, but the Justice Department will hold you accountable for your crimes.”

Notably, last year, investigations initiated by the Feds, FBI, and law enforcement took down Hydra and seize servers of the world’s largest dark web marketplace for illicit goods, stolen identities, and drugs. Investigators reveal that users are mainly from Russian-speaking countries and trade goods and launder money.

In addition, Prosecutors also unveiled criminal charges against 28 members of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. The three sons of the former drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman are also included in the charges, they allegedly smuggled cheap fentanyl to the U.S.

READ ALSO: Stop Fentanyl Smuggling; Attack Mexican Cartels, Suggests Former U.S. President Trump

Operation SpecTor Unprecedented Results

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that even with these efforts by the federal government, to target crimes on the dark web, there are still unprecedented results of Operation SpecTor. The problem faced by investigators is the easy way criminals transfer from one platform to another. They are doing as hard as they can to target these people and dismantle these groups.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said that the dark webs are “one-stop shopping” for drug lords and criminals.

Overall, Operation SpecTor seized 1,800 pounds of drugs and arrested 288 people for illicit online drug sales. This move was a response by the Federal government to rising cases of deaths caused by fentanyl and other drugs that are being sold on the dark web or illicit online marketplaces.

READ ALSO: A 19-Year Police Union Director Is Now Fired Following Illegal Smuggling Of Drugs