ANDY GREENBERG SECURITY FEB 19, 2026 6:18 PM An FBI ‘Asset’ Helped Run a Dark Web Site That Sold Fentanyl-Laced Drugs for Years A staffer of the Incognito dark web market was secretly controlled by the FBI—and still allegedly approved the sale of fentanyl-tainted pills, including those from a dealer linked to a confirmed death. PHOTOGRAPH: SALWAN GEORGES/GETTY IMAGES Get our Tracker: ICE newsletter to see what’s happening with immigration enforcement and what’s coming next SIGN UP By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy. You’ve read your last free article. The intersection of technology, power, and culture. Start your free trial and get access to 5 all-new premium newsletters—cancel anytime. START FREE TRIAL Already a subscriber? Sign In The intersection of technology, power, and culture. Start your free trial and get access to 5 all-new premium newsletters START FREE TRIAL You Might Also Like In your inbox: Maxwell Zeff's dispatch from the heart of AI ICE is expanding at breakneck speed—here’s where it’s going next Big Story: Inside the gay tech mafia Big Tech says AI will save the planet—it doesn’t offer much proof Event: Helping small business owners succeed Andy Greenberg is a senior writer for WIRED covering hacking, cybersecurity, and surveillance. He’s the author of the books Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency and Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers. His books ... Read More SENIOR WRITER TOPICS CRIME FBI PRIVACY DARK WEB DRUGS POLICE COURTS Don't Just Keep Up. Get Ahead Sign up for the Daily newsletter to get our biggest stories, handpicked for you each day. SIGN UP By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy. READ MORE ICE Agent’s ‘Dragging’ Case May Help Expose Evidence in Renee Good Shooting The government has withheld details of the investigation of Renee Good’s killing—but an unrelated case involving the ICE agent who shot her could force new revelations. DELL CAMERON US Judge Rules ICE Raids Require Judicial Warrants, Contradicting Secret ICE Memo The ruling in federal court in Minnesota lands as Immigration and Customs Enforcement faces scrutiny over an internal memo claiming judge-signed warrants aren’t needed to enter homes without consent. DELL CAMERON ICE Is Crashing the US Court System in Minnesota Petitions demanding people get the chance to be released from ICE custody have overwhelmed courts throughout the US. MADDY VARNER Donald Trump Jr.’s Private DC Club Has Mysterious Ties to an Ex-Cop With a Controversial Past The Executive Branch has a reported membership list that includes Trumpworld elites like David Sacks. A WIRED review of corporate filings reveals an under-the-radar player: a notorious former DC police officer. KATE KNIBBS The Paramilitary ICE and CBP Units at the Center of Minnesota's Killings Two agents involved in the shooting deaths of US citizens in Minneapolis are reportedly part of highly militarized DHS units whose extreme tactics are generally reserved for war zones. ALI WINSTON Inside the Homeland Security Forum Where ICE Agents Talk Shit About Other Agents Forum members have discussed their discomfort with mass deportation efforts, debate how federal agents have interacted with civilians, and complain about their working conditions. VITTORIA ELLIOTT DOGE May Have Misused Social Security Data, DOJ Admits Plus: The FAA blocks drones over DHS operations, Microsoft admits it hands over Bitlocker encryption keys to the cops, and more. MADDY VARNER Jeffrey Epstein Had a ‘Personal Hacker,’ Informant Claims Plus: AI agent OpenClaw gives cybersecurity experts the willies, China executes 11 scam compound bosses, a $40 million crypto theft has an unexpected alleged culprit, and more. MATT BURGESS DHS’s Data Grab Is Getting Citizens Kicked Off Voter Rolls, New Complaint Says As states check voter registration against a mashup of federal data, a new complaint says US citizens are getting kicked off state voter rolls as a result. VITTORIA ELLIOTT He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive A source trapped inside an industrial-scale scamming operation contacted me, determined to expose his captors’ crimes—and then escape. This is his story. ANDY GREENBERG Social Security Workers Are Being Told to Hand Over Appointment Details to ICE The recent request goes against decades of precedent and puts noncitizens at further risk of immigration enforcement actions. VITTORIA ELLIOTT Donald Trump Wants to Force Colorado to Free an Imprisoned Election Denier. It’s Not Working Former election clerk Tina Peters is a hero to conspiracy theorists, and even received an empty “pardon” from the president. Colorado's governor has held firm against commuting her sentence—so far. DAVID GILBERT