Ordering opioids on the dark web? Feds are shining a light on criminal activity

The feds want folks to know they are infiltrating the "dark web" to track down the sale of deadly opioids and other drugs on the internet.

The FBI this month announced it has embarked on Operation Disarray: Shining a Light on the Dark Web. "Operation Disarray operation is part 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," according an FBI news release.

Success would be welcome news in Manatee County, considered to be the epicenter of the opioid epidemic in Florida. Just last month, county officials agreed to consider joining other local governments in Florida that are suing drug makers to recover costs caused by the ongoing drug epidemic.

The FBI says its nationwide effort has led to hundreds of "interactions and arrests of individuals who may have considered their seemingly anonymous online transactions beyond the reach of authorities."

A video explaining Operation Disarray shows an agent shopping online for narcotics, and he finds more than 58,000 listings on one site alone. Agents also are shown participating in a raid at the residence of a suspect in Cleveland accused of buying dope online and then trafficking drugs in the community.

“We wanted to get the word out about the potential dangers of the drugs people are purchasing and to remind them that law enforcement is very cognizant of this activity,” said Pittsburgh-based Special Agent Eric Yingling, who specializes in dark web investigations.

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Ordering opioids on the dark web? Feds are shining a light on criminal activity."