Operation Targets Dark Web Drug Buyers
A joint law enforcement operation on March 28, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio, was one of dozens around the country that week targeting drug traffickers and end users who buy illegal narcotics like fentanyl on the dark web.
Video Transcript
Eric Yingling, special agent, Pittsburgh Division: If individual comes in here and wants to, let’s say, be interested in drugs, there are 58,240 listings currently for narcotics on this site, and they are broken down by category. So, if you were an individual and you were here and you were particularly interested in, let’s say, a particular type of opioid...
Special Agent Chris Brest: Drug trafficking is changing. The environment is moving from a real-world drug trafficking to more of a virtual realm in that the individuals involved in buying and selling are able to go online through the Darknet and anonymously, or almost completely anonymously, buy and sell drugs to avoid law enforcement, to avoid face-to-face exposure with other drug dealers and other people.
Yingling: So, this week around the country, we’re executing Operation Disarray. The FBI Headquarters has sent out information and is working in coordination with field offices all over the country. We’re working with all our federal partners here involved as well, to go out and both encounter customers of dark web marketplaces, dark web narcotics traffickers, as well as, sort of, get the word out on the dangers of potentially what they’re purchasing.
Special Agent: You’ll see from the picture on the back of the ops plan, it is on the corner. So, there’s two doors on the house…
Yingling: This morning, we’ve come out to execute two federal search warrants and an arrest warrant on an individual that’s a dark web narcotics trafficker. In particular, this trafficker is specializing in opioid derivative of fentanyl. And we meet up here to do a pre-op briefing, talk up everybody’s last-minute changes, what their assigned duties are, make sure we’re all on the same page to make sure it all goes smoothly and it’s done safely.
Special Agent: FBI, show your hands. Come out.
Yingling: So, we had successfully executed the search warrant and the searches themselves resulted in the seizure of both narcotics, a firearm, and numerous digital devices which may have been used to set up and facilitate this activity online. The individual was transported, of course, to the U.S. Marshals and to the federal courthouse to appear before a judge. The end goal is, of course, to remind the end user, the end purchaser, both of the dangers of the dark web marketplace and the fact that law enforcement is very cognizant of this activity. And we’re going to be continuing to stay on top of it.
Video Download
Video Source
Recent Video
- 05.17.2022 — Domestic Security Alliance Council
- 05.11.2022 — National Senior Fraud Awareness Day
- 05.10.2022 — Director Wray's 2022 National Police Week Address
- 04.28.2022 — National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month PSA (FBI Los Angeles)
- 04.28.2022 — FBI Los Angeles Diversity Agent Recruitment Event Promotional Video
- 04.18.2022 — Missouri Bomb Task Force Renders Safe a Cannonball
- 04.05.2022 — Former Director William Webster Offers Warning About Elder Fraud
- 03.29.2022 — FBI Portland Cyber Recruiting: Oregon Cyber Task Force
- 03.29.2022 — FBI Portland Cyber Recruiting: Regional Computer Forensics Lab
- 03.29.2022 — FBI Portland Cyber Recruiting: Cyber Special Agent
- 03.07.2022 — Made in Beijing: The Plan for Global Market Domination
- 03.02.2022 — FBI Pittsburgh Highlights Teen Academy
- 03.01.2022 — HRT Mobility Team - Fast Boat
- 03.01.2022 — HRT Mobility Team - Night Vision Goggles
- 02.28.2022 — FBI Rochester Hate Crimes PSA
- 02.28.2022 — FBI Buffalo & FBI Rochester Hate Crimes PSA
- 02.28.2022 — FBI Buffalo Hate Crimes PSA
- 02.22.2022 — Inside the FBI: Decoding the Cyber Threat
- 02.17.2022 — Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Introductory Video
- 02.15.2022 — Inside the FBI: Searching for Asha Degree
FBI Weekly Newsletter
Subscribe to our email newsletter for news on the FBI, sent out every week.