The story revolves around the rise and fall of Alpha Bay, a massive dark web marketplace founded by a Canadian man named Alexandre Cazes, who used the pseudonym Alpha O2. Cazes' platform quickly became the largest darknet market in the world, with over 300,000 items for sale and daily sales of over half a million dollars.
Cazes lived a luxurious life in Thailand, with multiple properties, luxury cars, and a Lamborghini. However, American investigators, including the DEA and FBI, were hot on his trail, trying to uncover his true identity and shut down Alpha Bay.
The investigators received a breakthrough when an anonymous tipster provided them with Cazes' email address, which led them to his LinkedIn profile, PayPal account, and Facebook page. They discovered that Cazes was a freelance software designer and the owner of a tech company called EBX Technologies.
The authorities, in collaboration with the Royal Thai police, devised a plan to arrest Cazes. On July 5, 2017, a female police officer, driving a Toyota Camry, intentionally caused a minor accident near Cazes' house to lure him out. Cazes, who had a cell phone on him, tried to run back inside but was overpowered and arrested.
The investigators searched his laptop and found multiple passwords for the Alpha Bay website and servers. Cazes was found to have a fortune of $23 million, which was confiscated by the authorities. His wife was charged with money laundering.
A week later, on July 12, 2017, Cazes committed suicide while in custody. The shutdown of Alpha Bay was kept secret for a while, and users migrated to other platforms, including the Hansa Market, which was also shut down by the authorities.
The takedown of Alpha Bay and Hansa was announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on July 20, 2017, marking one of the largest dark web market takedowns in history. Despite this, the demand for illegal goods and services on the dark web remains high, and new marketplaces continue to emerge.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. AlphaBay was a dark web marketplace that was launched in July 2014.
2. The platform was founded by a man who used the pseudonym Alpha02.
3. AlphaBay quickly became one of the largest dark web marketplaces, with over 200,000 registered users and 40,000 sellers.
4. The platform allowed users to buy and sell a variety of illicit goods, including drugs, weapons, and malware.
5. Alpha02 was a multi-millionaire who made his fortune through the platform's success.
6. In June 2017, law enforcement agencies launched a joint operation to take down AlphaBay and another dark web marketplace called Hansa.
7. The operation, called Operation Bayonet, involved authorities from seven countries and was led by the FBI and DEA.
8. On July 5, 2017, Alpha02 was arrested in Thailand by the Royal Thai Police, DEA, and FBI.
9. At the time of his arrest, Alpha02 had a fortune of $23 million.
10. Alpha02's wife was also charged with money laundering.
11. On July 12, 2017, Alpha02 committed suicide while in custody.
12. The shutdown of AlphaBay and Hansa was kept secret for several weeks, allowing authorities to collect evidence and build cases against users who had migrated to other dark web platforms.
13. On July 20, 2017, the Hansa Market was shut down, and the US Department of Justice announced the takedown of both AlphaBay and Hansa.
14. The takedown of AlphaBay and Hansa was the largest dark web marketplace takedown in world history.
15. The dark web itself is not an evil technology, but rather a tool that can be used for both good and bad purposes.
16. The demand for illicit goods on the dark web remains high, and new marketplaces continue to emerge.
17. In 2021, the Russian dark web market Hydra was shut down by German and American authorities.
18. A new version of AlphaBay was relaunched in 2021 by a user named Snake, who still runs the platform to this day.