The story revolves around Alexander Cazes, also known as Alpha02, a Canadian millionaire and the creator of the infamous dark web site AlphaBay. The site was a hub for illicit activities, including the sale of drugs, weapons, and counterfeit items.
The FBI and other law enforcement agencies had been tracking Alpha02 for years, but he was able to evade capture due to his clever use of encryption and anonymity tools. However, in 2017, the authorities finally caught a break when a former associate of Alpha02 sent an email to a police officer, revealing the site owner's email address.
The authorities were able to track down Alpha02 to his home in Bangkok, Thailand, and devised a plan to arrest him while his laptop was still open, in order to gather evidence and shut down the AlphaBay site.
On July 5, 2017, the authorities carried out the plan, using a staged car accident to lure Alpha02 out of his house. They arrested him and seized his laptop, which contained a wealth of incriminating evidence.
Alpha02 was charged with various crimes, including money laundering, and his wife was also arrested and charged with helping him with his illicit activities. Tragically, Alpha02 took his own life in prison just a week after his arrest.
The AlphaBay site was shut down, but in a surprising twist, it was revived in 2021 and is still operational today.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. On June 5, 2017, a man named Alpha 0T, also known as Alex, was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.
2. Alpha 0T, a millionaire, was the owner of the Alpha Bay website, a dark web marketplace.
3. The Alpha Bay website was launched in 2014 and had over 200,000 users and 40,000 buyers by 2016.
4. The website generated $500,000 in sales per day and had a 4% commission on all transactions.
5. Alpha 0T, whose real name is Alexander Kaziz, was a Canadian citizen born in 1991.
6. He used the email address "alex91@hotmail.com" and had a profile on the Sky Rock website.
7. The FBI and the Narcotics Control Department had been investigating Alpha Bay since 2016.
8. In December 2016, a policeman named Robert Miller received an email with the sender's email address, which led the authorities to Alpha 0T's location.
9. The authorities discovered that Alpha 0T was living in Thailand and had a fiancée and several properties in the country.
10. The FBI and the Thai authorities cooperated to arrest Alpha 0T on July 5, 2017.
11. Alpha 0T was arrested while his laptop was still open, allowing the authorities to access his emails, usernames, and other information.
12. The authorities confiscated all of Alpha 0T's assets, including his luxurious homes, cars, and money in the banks.
13. Alpha 0T's wife was also arrested and imprisoned for money laundering.
14. Alpha 0T, also known as Alexander Kaziz, ended his life in prison on July 12, 2017.
15. The Alpha Bay website was shut down after Alpha 0T's arrest, but it was relaunched in 2021 and is still operational today.