TorNado Operation Reports 354 Arrests and $234M Seizures
A multinational enforcement operation seized more than $234 million and arrested 354 people, with investigators using Bitcoin tracing to connect an alleged darknet vendor to payment records.
A multinational enforcement operation seized more than $234 million and arrested 354 people, with investigators using Bitcoin tracing to connect an alleged darknet vendor to payment records. Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at ₹64,78,394 ($68,856.00), up 0.4% since this brief published. This is an original Token Times brief synthesising 2 outlets (Blockonomi, Cryptopolitan), with their figures cross-checked, plus live market data, as of Fri, 13 Nov 2026 09:30:02 UTC.
The case links a large cross-border seizure to on-chain payment analysis, illustrating how digital-asset tracing can support traditional drug-market investigations. It also shows the scale of international coordination behind enforcement against illicit crypto activity.
- DOJ and Europol reported 354 arrests across 14 countries.
- Seizures exceeded $234 million in cash and cryptocurrency.
- Bitcoin tracing connected BarbaraWhite payments to an alleged Florida operator.
- Bitcoin fell 6.82% over 24 hours amid broad market weakness.
Blockonomi and Cryptopolitan both report that Operation TorNado resulted in more than $234 million in cash and cryptocurrency seizures, with 354 arrests announced by the US Justice Department and Europol. Cryptopolitan provides the cross-border operational scope, identifying agencies in 14 countries and a period running from May 2025 through October, while Blockonomi highlights Bitcoin tracing that connected BarbaraWhite market payments to an alleged operator in Florida. Blockonomi additionally gives the wallet-cluster figures of roughly $220,000 received and $230,000 sent, including a payment to one supplier; neither outlet contradicts the other, but their emphasis differs between seizure totals and digital-asset investigative details.
The US Justice Department and Europol announced on November 12 that Operation TorNado led to 354 arrests and the seizure of more than $234 million in cash and cryptocurrency. Cryptopolitan reports that law-enforcement agencies in 14 countries participated in the operation, which ran from May 2025 through October. Blockonomi also notes that dozens of federal prosecutions were announced alongside the arrests and seizures.
The operation targeted drug sellers and buyers operating on darknet markets, according to Cryptopolitan’s account of the announcement. 
Bitcoin tracing formed a central investigative thread: Blockonomi reports that investigators linked BarbaraWhite market payments to an alleged operator in Florida. The wallet cluster associated with that activity received about $220,000 and sent roughly $230,000, including payments to one supplier.
The $234 million figure is independently cited by both Blockonomi and Cryptopolitan, making the seizure total the strongest point of agreement between the two reports. Their additional details are complementary rather than conflicting. Cryptopolitan concentrates on the number of arrests, participating countries and operation dates, while Blockonomi focuses on the payment trail and the alleged Florida connection; Blockonomi’s wallet-level figures are not detailed in the Cryptopolitan summary.
The case extends beyond a single-country enforcement action, combining arrests, asset seizures and digital-payment tracing across multiple jurisdictions. The reported use of Bitcoin records links market transactions to an alleged vendor, while the broader operation addresses the sellers and buyers surrounding those transactions. The supplied reporting does not identify every seized asset or specify whether the full $234 million consisted of cryptocurrency, cash or both.
Live market conditions were weak as the announcement circulated: Bitcoin traded at $68,591, down 6.82% over 24 hours and 9.36% over seven days, with a $1.38 trillion market capitalization. The total crypto market stood at $2.38 trillion and was broadly lower, while the Fear & Greed index registered 20, labeled Extreme Fear. These figures describe market sentiment independently of the operation and do not establish a direct link between the enforcement news and the decline in Bitcoin.
Since this brief published about 3 hours ago, Bitcoin (BTC) has moved from ₹64,53,461.47$68,591.00 to ₹64,78,394.29$68,856.00 — +0.39%.
The chart plots BTC's price: grey is the move before this brief published, the vertical dashed line marks the moment it published, the horizontal dashed line is the price then, and the coloured area is the move since — from Token Times's market data (daily resolution). It shows what happened after the news, not that the news caused it; many factors move prices. Not financial advice.
At today's peer-to-peer rate, 1 BTC ≈ ₹6.86M (about $68,856.00), down 6.2% over 24 hours. The rupee itself trades about 6.0% above the official rate on the P2P market, so a Indian buyer's effective cost differs from the headline dollar price.
Live market data
Current prices for the asset in this story — live, source-stamped, updated every 15 minutes.
1 key figure independently matched across 2 outlets reporting this story.
Token Times extracts the figures each outlet reports and flags the ones that agree. Numbers cited by only one outlet are attributed in the brief, not shown as corroborated.
Figures and sectors in this story, checked live against on-chain aggregators · November 13, 2026.
Token Times reads these figures directly from on-chain aggregators (DeFiLlama, mempool.space) at build time — independent of what any outlet reported. Sector totals aggregate every protocol DeFiLlama tracks in that category. Values are live and will change.
TorNado Operation Reports 354 Arrests and $234M Seizures — questions & answers
How many people were arrested in Operation TorNado?
The US Justice Department and Europol reported 354 arrests. Agencies in 14 countries participated in the operation.
How much did Operation TorNado seize?
Both Blockonomi and Cryptopolitan reported seizures exceeding $234 million in cash and cryptocurrency.
What did Bitcoin tracing reveal in the investigation?
Blockonomi reports that tracing connected BarbaraWhite market payments to an alleged operator in Florida. The associated wallet cluster received about $220,000 and sent roughly $230,000.
How much is 1 Bitcoin worth in rupee today?
About ₹6.86M at the live peer-to-peer (P2P) USDT rate, which is what Indians typically trade at — equivalent to roughly $68,856.00. The rupee price moves with both BTC's US-dollar price and the USDT/INR rate; use our Bitcoin in rupee page for any amount.
Has Bitcoin's price moved since this brief was published?
BTC is up 0.39% since this brief first published — trading at ₹64,78,394 ($68,856.00) now versus ₹64,53,461 ($68,591.00) at publication. Token Times re-checks this figure against CoinGecko and Binance every 15 minutes.
Which outlets reported this story?
This is an original Token Times brief that synthesises reporting from Blockonomi, Cryptopolitan, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.
Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Token Times brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.