In June 2014, a Canadian citizen named Alexandre Cazes sat at his computer and built a website that would later become one of the largest illegal marketplaces on the dark web.
Alexandre, born in ’91, was highly ambitious. He envisioned his forum, which most of you know as AlphaBay, growing into one of the biggest marketplaces the Darknet had ever seen, eventually hosting more than 300,000 listings for hard drugs, weapons, malware, illicit hacking tools, and stolen data.
The forum, which generated tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, became a prime target for multiple intelligence agencies. Yet for years, investigators had no idea who was running it.
The mystery remained unsolved until one day an Interpol agent received an anonymous tip: a copy of AlphaBay’s automated welcome email sent to every new user.
At the bottom of the message was Alexandre’s personal email address, a classic OPSEC mistake that ultimately led to his downfall.
This was the turning point. From there, identifying Alexandre and tracking his movements became straightforward.
When Troubles Start Coming, They Come In Pairs
Authorities planned an elaborate arrest operation in Thailand. On the appointed day, they staged a minor car crash against the fence of his home, hoping the commotion would push Alexandre to step outside while his laptop remained unlocked. And that’s exactly what happened.
As soon as he rushed out to see what was happening, officers moved in. He was arrested on the spot, and his unlocked computer was seized as a result of a coordinated operation involving Interpol and seven additional agencies.
With full access to the device, investigators could review transactions, identify new suspects, and map out AlphaBay’s user base.
By July 2017, Alexandre’s wife was charged with large-scale money laundering, Alexandre was arrested, and the entire marketplace was taken down.
About a month later, the man who had made millions, driven luxury cars, owned vacation homes, and ruled the largest marketplace on the dark web was found dead, of what seems like an apparent suicide.
And just like that, the urban legend of the Canadian who set a new standard for the criminal underworld came to an end.
Legends Do Not Just Disappear
Immediately after the forum’s takedown, its users, insatiable as ever, did what in the startup world is known as a “pivot.” They migrated quickly from the exposed marketplace to others.
Because where there is demand, supply will always find a way.