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Operation Disarray:
Shining a Light on the Dark Web
Nationwide Law Enforcement Action Targets Online Drug Trafficking
A nationwide law enforcement action aimed at shining a light on those
who use the dark web to buy and sell illegal opiates has resulted in
hundreds of interactions and arrests of individuals who may have
considered their seemingly anonymous online transactions beyond the
reach of authorities.
The FBI-led enforcement action last week, named Operation Disarray, is
part of a recently launched Department of Justice initiative to disrupt
the sale of opioids online and was the first operation of its kind to
occur simultaneously in all 50 states.
“The point of Operation Disarray,” said Special Agent Chris Brest, who
helped organize the effort from FBI Headquarters, “is to put drug
traffickers on notice: Law enforcement is watching when people buy and
sell drugs online. For those who think the Darknet provides anonymity,”
he explained, “you are mistaken.”
Darknet marketplaces resemble legitimate e-commerce sites, complete
with shopping carts, thousands of products, sales promotions, and
customer reviews. But the Darknet sites’ drop-down menus direct
customers to cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other illegal drugs.
The marketplaces are accessed through a type of software that claims to
make the buyer and seller anonymous. Drug users anywhere in the world
can sit in front of a computer screen and, with a click of the mouse,
buy narcotics without having to risk a face-to-face interaction. “Drug
trafficking is changing,” Brest said. “The environment is moving from
real-world to the virtual realm, and it’s on the rise.”
Such unfettered access to illegal drugs, said Special Agent Eric
Yingling, who specializes in Darknet investigations from the FBI’s
Pittsburgh Division, “can accelerate someone’s addiction because the
drugs are so easy to obtain. It also facilitates a low barrier of entry
to becoming a trafficker,” he explained. “We see a number of
individuals go from consuming to becoming distributors because they’ve
become comfortable using the marketplaces. Anyone who owns a computer
could potentially be involved in this type of activity.”
But there are risks with the Darknet, Yingling pointed out. Buyers
might get more than they bargained for. Opiates laced with fentanyl,
for example, have resulted in deadly overdoses throughout the country.
And there is the very real risk of arrest and prosecution because
specially trained investigators can use a variety of techniques to
infiltrate the marketplaces.
Operation Disarray was designed, in part, to highlight those risks for
buyers and sellers. Hundreds of FBI agents and federal
partners—including personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Internal Revenue Service,
Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Postal Inspection
Service—conducted searches, made arrests, and carried out “knock and
talks” with more than 160 individuals known to have bought or sold
drugs through the marketplaces. Leads from the investigation identified
19 overdose deaths of persons of interest.
“We wanted to get the word out about the potential dangers of the drugs
people are purchasing,” Yingling said, “and to remind them that law
enforcement is very cognizant of this activity.”
“Education of what these drugs can do is one of the first steps to
curbing the opioid epidemic,” Brest said. “People may be under the
assumption that they won’t be the one that gets addicted, or that these
drugs can’t ruin your life.”
Law enforcement personnel participating in Operation Disarray handed
out brochures that included information on medical steps to take in the
event of an overdose and where individuals or family members can get
help for issues related to drug addiction.
In January 2018, the Department of Justice announced the Joint Criminal
Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team, an FBI-led initiative that
brings together a variety of federal agencies to disrupt illicit opioid
sales online.
As part of the effort, the FBI is training hundreds of agents, as well
as local and state law enforcement partners, about the increasing use
of Darknet marketplaces to facilitate the sale of opiates.
“The FBI has made the J-CODE a priority, and we are bringing together
significant resources to strategically attack this crime problem.”
Brest said. Operation Disarray was the first major J-CODE action, and,
he continued, “we will consider the operation a success if our actions
prevented one more person from overdosing on illegal narcotics.”
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