Last progress June 5, 2025 (6 months ago)
Introduced on June 5, 2025 by Margaret Wood Hassan
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
This bill targets the sale of drugs on the dark web. It makes it illegal to knowingly deliver, distribute, or dispense a controlled substance through hidden online sites that hide user identities, and it orders tougher sentences for these crimes (a two-level increase under federal guidelines) . The bill also defines “dark web” as parts of the internet that aren’t found by search engines and need special tools to access . Congress says dark web marketplaces help spread illegal drugs and other illicit goods, fueling the drug crisis in communities across the United States .
The bill creates a task force inside the FBI to detect, disrupt, and dismantle these dark web markets. It pulls in experts from multiple agencies, trains investigators and prosecutors, shares information, and develops new tools to track and shut down these networks. The task force must report each year on its work, including the number of investigations, arrests, and markets taken down, and it ends after five years unless renewed . The Attorney General must also report within one year on how virtual currencies are used to buy and sell opioids on the dark web, and suggest ways to improve enforcement .
| Who is affected | What changes | When |
|---|---|---|
| People selling or delivering drugs on the dark web | New explicit ban on delivering controlled substances via the dark web and tougher sentences for these crimes | Takes effect upon enactment |
| Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement | New FBI-led task force, training, info sharing, and annual reports on results | Task force reports yearly; sunsets after 5 years |
| Congress and the public | Report on dark web opioid sales using virtual currencies, with recommendations to strengthen enforcement | Due within 1 year of enactment |