Video Transcript

Andrew I., special agent, FBI Los Angeles: This particular Darknet vendor goes by the name of JoyInc, This organization primarily sells methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA in large quantities that they package here in Los Angeles at various different locations and then put into the U.S. postal system for customers across the world.

Slide: An FBI-led Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) operation in Los Angeles targeted an online drug network  that allegedly ran 17 illegal Darknet markets.

Aaron Pinder, unit chief, FBI Hi-Tech Organized Crime Unit: A lot of individuals that are buying these illicit items on the darknet, they're not necessarily aware of what they're buying. And with the amount of fentanyl that's in the supply chain these days, it's a minuscule amount of fentanyl that can ultimately end up killing someone. It's not an addiction that builds up over time. Just one hot dose can kill.

Katie Brenden, analyst, JCODE: One of the things that makes a Darknet marketplace so dangerous in the eyes of law enforcement is the fact that it's such an easy-to-use platform. But the problem that we see from the law enforcement side is these pills are not what they're advertised. They're almost always pressed with fentanyl. And you can very easily get yourself in a bad situation, almost not knowing better.

Pinder: What JCODE brings to the table is given the numerous federal, state and local partnerships that we have to include our international partnerships, we're strategically placed to combat this threat because it is borderless. And because of those partnerships, there's no place in the world that we can't reach.

The unique nature of our threat is the scope and the range that the Darknet vendors that we target can reach when it comes to the customer and user base. It's not like when you're dealing with your local neighborhood dealer or even a cartel member. The Darknet vendors that we investigate, they truly operate on a global scale in their ability to reach and sell drugs to customers out there.

We're trying to keep people safe. You know, the FBI mission statement is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. And that's ultimately what JCODE is about. We have become very adept at identifying the individuals behind these marketplaces, no matter what role they're in, whether they're an administrator or a vendor, a money launderer, or indeed a buyer.