23 arrested and 50 kg of cannabis seized in France in Europol Operation TorNado
Europol-coordinated Operation TorNado led to 23 arrests in France and the seizure of 50 kilograms of cannabis there, as part of 354 arrests and hundreds of house searches across 14 countries between May 2025 and October 2026. The cannabis was one substance among a multi-drug haul dominated by amphetamines, ketamine, MDMA and cocaine.
Europol coordinated Operation TorNado with law enforcement agencies from 14
countries from May 2025 to October 2026, resulting in 354 arrests and hundreds
of house searches worldwide.[1]The operation targeted vendors and buyers on
the dark web marketplaces Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door, and
also people active on forums, single-vendor shops and encrypted messaging
services.[1]
French authorities arrested 23 people as part of the operation.[2]French
authorities seized50 kilograms of cannabis, the largest cannabis quantity
reported for any single country in the operation.[1]European countries seized
950 kilograms of illicit drugs in total, including amphetamines, ketamine, MDMA
and cocaine, with cannabis making up 50 of those kilograms.[1]
The United States seized over 4.8 metric tonnes of illicit drugs, 152 firearms
and over EUR 150 million in cash and cryptocurrencies during the same operation.[1]A second account of the operation’s results reported the same 23 arrests in
France and the same 50 kilograms of cannabis seized there.[3]
The FBI reported 354 arrests across 14 countries and the seizure of more than
5.7 metric tons of illicit drugs, more than $234 million in cryptocurrency and
cash, and 209 firearms.[4]
The FBI reported that investigations remained underway in several countries to
identify additional individuals operating behind anonymous online accounts.[4]
The U.S. Department of Justice listed the five marketplaces taken down before
the follow-up action as Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom and Tor2Door.[2]
The U.S. Department of Justice reported 23 arrests in France among the 354 made
worldwide.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
U.S. Department of Justicejustice.govInternational Law Enforcement Operation Targeting Opioid and Fentanyl Traffickers on the Dark Web Results in over 350 Arrests Worldwide and the Seizure of Drugs, Weapons, and over $234 Million
The420.inthe420.inEuropol's Operation TorNado Leads to 354 Arrests Worldwide
The sources do not say whether the 50 kilograms of cannabis was dried flower, resin or another product form.
No charges, pleas or court outcomes were reported for the 23 people arrested in France.
No source gives the location within France where the cannabis was seized or the arrests took place.
The 950 kilograms of drugs reported for European countries covers all substances together, so the cannabis share of any European total beyond the 50 kilograms in France cannot be separated.
The operation ran from May 2025 to October 2026, so the report uses the 12 November 2026 results announcement date rather than a single day of enforcement.
Prison staff at Riom found just under 450 grams of cannabis on a detainee after exercise-yard searches on 10 November 2026. The FO Justice union described it as one of the largest seizures since the prison opened in 2016.
Customs officers seized 40 kg of cannabis products from a Spanish UPS truck at the Fontaine toll on the A36 on 9 November 2026. Two Spain-based delivery drivers, aged 36 and 46, were detained after admitting they acted as “mules” for a load collected in Madrid.
Police seized about 100 kilos of drugs, mainly cannabis with some cocaine, from a nourrice stash flat supplying deal points in Vénissieux's Joliot-Curie sector. The reports give only a combined weight, so no cannabis-only quantity can be recorded.
Six people were taken into custody after searches across Corrèze and Saône-et-Loire linked to the Kannathera CBD chain; police seized 444.1 kg of cannabis, 190.2 kg of it resin. The Brive prosecutor's office said four suspects were placed under judicial supervision pending trial and two others were summoned to court.
