The Hunt for the King of the Dark Web

Summary

このビデオスクリプトは、ダークウェブの王「Alpha02」として知られるアレクサンダー・ケイズの追跡と逮捕について語っています。アルファベイと呼ばれる彼のプラットフォームは、違法商品を扱う大規模なマーケットプレイスとして急速に成長しました。しかし、国際的な法執行機関は彼と彼の運営する市場を標的にし、複数国が協力して彼を追い詰め、タイで逮捕しました。その結果、アルファベイは閉鎖され、ケイズは拘留中に自殺しました。このドラマチックなストーリーは、ダークウェブの複雑で継続的な問題を浮き彫りにします。

Takeaways

• 🌐 ダークウェブは匿名性とプライバシーを求める人々を引き寄せる力を持つが、犯罪者による利用も容易になっています。
• 💰 ビットコインの登場により、監視されない新たな支払い方法が生まれ、犯罪者がオンラインで大量に商品を販売する手段となりました。
• 🛒 シルクロードはダークウェブで最も伝説的なマーケットプレイスですが、運営者が逮捕され、サイトは閉鎖されました。
• 🔥 シルクロードの閉鎖後、ダークウェブ上のマーケットプレイスは急増し、全てがトップの座を争い合いました。
• 🚀 AlphaBayは2014年に開始され、短期間でダークウェブを支配しました。様々な違法商品やサービスを提供し、匿名性を確保するために暗号通貨での取引を行っていました。
• 💼 Alpha02（アレクサンドル・カゼス）は、AlphaBayを立ち上げ、数ヶ月でマルチミリオネアとなりました。彼はタイで豪華な生活を送り、高価な車を運転していました。
• 🔎 各国の捜査当局は、AlphaBayの運営者であるAlpha02の身元を追跡し、タイのバンコクでの生活から彼の活動を解明しました。
• 🤝 捜査当局は国際的な協力を通じて、AlphaBayのサーバーを特定し、Alpha02の逮捕を計画しました。
• 🚨 2017年7月5日、タイのバンコクでAlpha02が逮捕され、AlphaBayの管理に携わっていたことが明らかになりました。
• ⛔ アレクサンドル・カゼスは拘禁中に自殺し、AlphaBayの稼働も終了しましたが、その後もダークウェブ上の市場は活発で、新たな市場が登場しています。
• 🔕 一方で、AlphaBayの閉鎖後、他のダークウェブ市場にユーザーが移動し、ホネイポットとして捜査当局がデータを収集しました。
• 🔄 ダークウェブは悪質な技術ではありませんが、犯罪者による悪用が問題です。一方で、情報公開者やジャーナリストにとって安全な場所を提供する必要があります。

Q & A

2017年7月5日、バンコクの別荘でパソコン前に座っている男性は何者ですか？

彼は仮名「Alpha02」と名乗る人物で、タイで安全を確保していると感じている多 millionaire です。彼は高級車を運転し、豪華な生活を送っています。

Alpha02が開発したAlphaBayはどのような特徴を持っていますか？

AlphaBayはアマゾンのようなユーザーフレンドリーなウェブサイトで、検索機能、フィルタ、カテゴリーがあります。Bitcoin、Monero、Ethereumで支払いが可能です。また、トランザクションを複数の取引から成る「tumbler」を使って匿名性を提供しています。

アレクサンドル・カゼスがAlphaBayのオペレータとして知られる名前は何ですか？

アレクサンドル・カゼスはAlphaBayのオペレータとして「Alpha02」として知られていましたが、日常的な業務から引退した後、「Admin」に改名しました。

アメリカの捜査当局はAlphaBayのサーバーがどこにあるかをどのように突き止めようとしましたか？

アメリカの捜査当局はプラットフォームをブラウジングし、匿名で麻薬を購入することで、セラーのミスを探ろうとしました。商品のパッケージや郵便シールから、それぞれのドラッグディーラーの身元に関する手がかりを見つける可能性がありました。

AlphaBayの創設者であるアレクサンドル・カゼスがどのようにして身元がばれたのですか？

AlphaBayの初期段階でAlpha02が犯したメールのメタデータの間違いが、DEAに情報を提供する匿名の告発者によって発見されました。そのメールアドレスを通じて、捜査当局はAlexandre Cazesの身元を突き止めることができました。

アレクサンドル・カゼスがバンコクで逮捕されたとき、彼が所有していたのはどのような資産ですか？

アレクサンドル・カゼスはバンコクの3つのプロパティ、プケットの別荘、バンコク郊外の3000万ドルの豪華邸宅、およびチェイスで休日を過ごすためのホテルを所有していました。また、彼はバンコクの他の家で多くの浮気を招待し、ピクケット芸術家フォーラムの活発なメンバーでした。

AlphaBayを閉鎖した後のダークウェブの状況はどうでしたか？

AlphaBayを閉鎖した後も、ダークウェブは依然として活発で、新しいダークウェブ市場が既存のプラットフォームよりも優れた位置付けをしました。また、ハイドラーダークウェブ市場はAlphaBayの倍以上の大きさになりましたが、2021年にドイツとアメリカの当局によって閉鎖されました。

アレクサンドル・カゼスがAlphaBayのオペレーションを引退した理由は何ですか？

AlphaBayの爆発的な成功と彼の多 millionaire 状態に伴い、アレクサンドル・カゼスは日常的なオペレーションから引退し、「DeSnake」を通じてのみコミュニケーションが行われることを決定しました。

AlphaBayのプラットフォームで禁止されていたアイテムは何ですか？

AlphaBayでは、子供の虐待、交通死亡逃逸、ロシアからの銀行口座情報の盗難に関連するアイテムやデータが厳格に禁止されていました。

AlphaBayがオンラインになった後、どのような種類の製品を提供しましたか？

最初は盗まれたクレジットカード情報が提供されていましたが、AlphaBayはすぐにより有利な製品を提供し始め、データやログイン情報に加えて、麻薬、武器、マルウェア、そしてマネーロンダリングサービスを提供しました。

アレクサンドル・カゼスがバンコクで逮捕されたとき、彼が所有していた車は何でしたか？

アレクサンドル・カゼスはバンコクをランボルギーニで運転していましたが、彼はまたポルシェ・パナメラも所有しており、逮捕時には携帯電話を持っていました。

AlphaBayを閉鎖した後、グローバルな捜査当局はどのような成果を上げましたか？

AlphaBayとHansa Marketを閉鎖した後、捜査当局はダークウェブ上での数千人の犯罪者を摘発し、貴重な証拠を集めることができました。これにより、グローバルな捜査当局は大きな成功を収めました。

Outlines

00:00

🔍 ダークウェブの頂点へ

2017年7月5日、バンコクの別荘で、化名「Alpha02」の男性がラップトップ前に座る。彼は多国籍の富商で、タイで安全に感じている。しかし、彼の前に車が突っ込む事故が起こり、彼は外に出て事故現場へ向かう。FBIやDEAの捜査官が彼を待ち構えていた。7カ国が協力して、ダークウェブの頂点を追う。Wired誌のAndy Greenbergがシリーズでその物語を報じ、Darknet Diariesのエピソードでも取り上げられている。ダークウェブは2010年代初頭に急成長し、匿名性とプライバシーを求める人々を引き寄せる。ビットコインの登場により、犯罪者がオンラインで商品を販売する手段が整った。Silk Roadが伝説的なダークウェブ市場となり、2011年に登場し大人気だったが、2年半で逮捕され、市場は閉鎖された。しかし、その後ダークウェブ市場は急増し、AlphaBayが登場。Alpha02は2014年にAlphaBayを立ち上げ、盗まれたクレジットカード情報から始め、すぐに他の商品へと拡大し、匿名性を提供するため、暗号通貨での取引が可能に。2017年には、AlphaBayは300,000アイテムを扱っており、日商が50万ドルを超える。

05:01

💼 AlphaBayの運営と追跡

Alpha02は何パーセントかの手数料を通じてマルチミリオネアになる。彼は「DeSnake」という代表者と紛争解決のモデレーター、広報マネージャーを持つ。Alpha02は日常運営から引退し、「Admin」に改名し、DeSnakeを通じて連絡を取る。アメリカの捜査官はAlpha02の正体を追う。通常のインターネットではマルウェアが蔓延しており、NordVPNが脅威保護機能を提供している。VPNは仮想的な場所を提供し、ジオブロックを回避できる。アメリカ捜査官はAlphaBayのサーバーの場所を突き止めようとするが、TORのようなクローズドネットワークではIPアドレスが多数のランダムサーバーを経由するため、特定が困難。捜査官はプラットフォームをブラウジングし、薬物を購入し、販売者の過ちを探る。2016年12月に、Robert MillerはDEAでAlphaBayを扱っていた。彼のインボックスに、Alpha02がAlphaBayの初期に犯した致命的な誤りを指摘する匿名のメールが届いた。メールのメタデータから、本名のAlexandre Cazesが特定された。彼のPayPalアカウントやLinkedInプロフィールから、彼の活動が判明し、タイのバンコクに住むことが分かった。

10:02

🚓 Alpha02の逮捕とその後

カナダ人のCazesはタイで生活しており、バンコクの3つのプロパティを所有している。彼は妻と共にゲート付きコミュニティの家に住む。捜査班は彼を尾行し、彼の行動を追跡する。Cazesはピックアップアーティストフォーラムに参加し、女性との関係をアドバイスする。彼は日常生活を送るが、2017年6月にバンコクのホテルでアメリカの捜査官に偶然出会い、1か月後に死亡する。AlphaBayは当時最大のダークウェブ市場であり、ヨーロッパではHansa Marketが急速に成長。オランダの捜査班はHansa Marketのサーバーを発見し、データセンターで監視し、徳国人のオペレーターを特定。FBIはヨーロッパ当局にAlpha02の逮捕計画を伝え、「オペレーション・ベイオネット」が始動。7カ国が協力し、Europolも関与。FBIはHansa Marketが掌握されるまでAlphaBayの摘発を待機。2017年6月20日、オペレーションの第1段階が成功し、データセンターが強制捜査され、Hansa Marketのオペレーターが逮捕される。7月5日、バンコクでCazesはタイ警察、DEA、FBIによって逮捕される。彼はAlphaBayのサーバーにログインしており、捜査官は彼のラップトップから多数のパスワードを発見。Cazesの財産は2300万ドルに上り、彼の妻は洗銭の容疑で逮捕される。Cazesは拘置所で自殺し、AlphaBayの摘発は一時的に秘密にされる。オランダ当局はHansa Marketで数千の犯罪者を監視し、証拠を収集し、7月20日に市場を閉鎖。同日、米国司法省はAlphaBayとHansaの終結を発表。

15:03

🌐 ダークウェブの未来

ダークウェブ自体は悪辣な技術ではなく、告発者やジャーナリストが安全に活動できる場所が必要なインターネットの一部分である。しかし、AlphaBayやHansa Marketは需要が高すぎて忘れられることはない。新しいダークウェブ市場が登場し、以前の市場リーダーよりも優位に位置づけられる。ロシアのダークウェブ市場HydraはAlphaBayの倍以上の規模を誇り、2021年にドイツとアメリカの当局によって摘発された。今、新しいダークウェブの頂点を争う競争が始まり、「DeSnake」が2021年にAlphaBayを再開し、今もダークネット市場を運営している。

Keywords

💡ダークウェブ

ダークウェブとは、通常の検索エンジンではアクセスできないウェブサイトの総称です。プライバシーと匿名性が高く、違法な取引が行われることで知られています。本ビデオでは、ダークウェブ上の市場が中心のテーマであり、違法商品の取引や情報共有が行われる場として説明されています。

💡ビットコイン

ビットコインは、中央機関を必要としない暗号通貨のひとつです。ビデオでは、ダークウェブでの取引で使用される新しい支払い形態として紹介されており、匿名性を保つために犯罪者が使用していると説明されています。

💡Silk Road

Silk Roadとは、ダークウェブ上で作られた伝説的な市場です。ビデオでは、ダークウェブ市場の先駆者であり、薬物取引が行われた場所として触れられています。また、その閉鎖後に多数のダークウェブ市場が登場し、それに続く物語が展開されています。

💡AlphaBay

AlphaBayは、ダークウェブ上で作られた巨大な市場のひとつです。ビデオでは、Alpha02によって作られ、多数の違法商品とサービスが提供されていたと説明されています。AlphaBayは、グローバルな捜査の対象となり、その閉鎖がビデオの主要な出来事の一つとなっています。

💡アレクサンドル・カゼス

アレクサンドル・カゼスは、AlphaBayの創設者であり、ビデオの主な人物です。彼はダークウェブのキングとして描かれており、捜査の的となり、最後は自殺しました。彼の活動とその後の逮捕、そして死がビデオの中心的な物語です。

💡暗号化

暗号化とは、情報を第三者に解読されないように変換するプロセスです。ビデオでは、AlphaBayのサーバーが暗号化されていた場合、捜査当局がデータを入手するのが難しくなる可能性があると説明されています。これは、捜査当局がカゼスを逮捕する際に重要な要素となっています。

💡VPN

VPNは、仮想プライベートネットワークの略で、インターネット接続を匿名化し、地理的な制限を回避するために使用されます。ビデオでは、NordVPNが広告として登場し、脅威保護機能や仮想的な場所の変更、ジオブロッキングの回避について説明されています。

💡トロイの木馬

トロイの木馬とは、見かけは良性なソフトウェアのように見えるが、実際には悪意のあるコードを含むコンピュータプログラムです。ビデオでは、AlphaBayで売買されていた違法商品の一種として触れられています。

💡洗銭

洗銭とは、犯罪収益を合法的な出所に見せかける行為です。ビデオでは、AlphaBayを通じて得られた資金が洗銭され、カゼスが豪華な生活を送っていたと説明されています。また、彼の妻はその容疑で逮捕されました。

💡捜査当局

捜査当局とは、犯罪捜査を行う警察や政府の組織を指します。ビデオでは、FBIやDEA、そして他の国々の捜査機関が協力して、ダークウェブ上の市場を閉鎖し、その主犯を逮捕するため努力していると描かれています。

💡自殺

自殺とは、自己の命を自ら断つ行為です。ビデオでは、アレクサンドル・カゼスが拘置所で自殺したと触れられており、彼の死がダークウェブの物語の重要な結末となっています。

Highlights

Alpha02, the pseudonym of a multi-millionaire living in Bangkok, is revealed to be the mastermind behind the notorious dark web marketplace AlphaBay.

The authorities from seven countries collaborate in a relentless pursuit to apprehend the kingpin of the dark web, culminating in a meticulously planned operation.

The Silk Road, a legendary dark web marketplace, is shut down after its operator is caught, but the lucrative business model leads to an explosion of similar markets.

AlphaBay emerges as a dominant player in the dark web, offering a wide range of illicit goods and services, with Alpha02 amassing a fortune through transaction fees.

The platform's operations are sophisticated, with a representative named DeSnake, moderators, and a PR manager, indicating a complex organizational structure.

American investigators face challenges in identifying the physical location of AlphaBay's servers due to the anonymous nature of the dark web and the use of TOR network.

A breakthrough in the investigation comes when an anonymous tipster provides an early welcome email from AlphaBay, revealing the sender's email address.

The email address leads investigators to Alexandre Cazes, a Canadian software designer living in Thailand, who is identified as Alpha02.

Cazes's luxurious lifestyle, including high-end vehicles and multiple properties, is funded by his illicit activities as the head of AlphaBay.

Investigators meticulously plan Cazes's arrest, hoping to catch him off guard and with his devices unlocked to access AlphaBay's servers.

Operation Bayonet, a coordinated effort by the FBI, DEA, and international law enforcement, aims to take down AlphaBay and apprehend Cazes.

The Dutch authorities take control of the Hansa Market, using it as a honeypot to collect evidence against thousands of criminals before its shutdown.

Cazes is arrested after a staged car accident near his home, and investigators find him still logged into the AlphaBay server.

Following his arrest, Cazes commits suicide while in custody, marking the end of his reign as the King of the Dark Web.

The simultaneous shutdown of AlphaBay and Hansa Market is announced, representing a significant victory for global law enforcement agencies.

Despite the takedown of major dark web marketplaces, the demand for illegal goods persists, leading to the emergence of new platforms and the continuation of the cat-and-mouse game between authorities and criminals.

DeSnake, a key figure from AlphaBay, relaunches the platform in 2021, positioning himself as a contender for the title of the new King of the Dark Web.

Transcripts

On the morning of July 5th, 2017,

a man sits in front of his laptop

in his villa in Bangkok.

Online

he is only known under a pseudonym:

Alpha02

He is a multi-millionaire,

lives a luxurious life

and drives expensive cars.

He feels safe in Thailand.

Suddenly,

he hears a loud bang

in front of his house.

A woman crashed her Toyota Camry

into his front gate.

He leaves everything behind

and runs out of his house to the scene of the accident.

A mistake

with serious consequences.

The driver

is an agent of the Royal Thai Police force.

FBI and DEA investigators

have been waiting for this moment

for months.

Authorities from seven countries

have worked relentlessly

towards this day.

Will the hunt for the king of the dark web

finally

come to an end?

The Wired journalist Andy Greenberg

has published the story

on the hunt for the Darknet kingpin

in a multi-part series.

Additionally,

there's a phenomenal

Darknet Diaries episode on Operation Bayonet,

which is covered in chapter 3 of this video.

You can find both links in the description.

It's the early 2010s.

The dark web is picking up speed.

The promises of anonymity

and privacy

are attracting more and more people.

Thanks to Bitcoin,

there is a new form of payment

that isn't controlled by authorities.

It's become easier than ever

for criminals to sell their products online

at a massive scale.

With the advent of the dark web,

the gigantic global game

of cat and mouse began

and it continues to this day.

The Silk Road

is perhaps the most legendary

dark web marketplace to date.

The platform went live in February 2011

and became incredibly popular.

More than 100,000 customers

bought drugs there,

but only 2.5 years later,

the operator of the site was caught

and the Silk Road went offline.

The authorities wanted to set an example

in the fight against drugs.

The Silk Road founder

received a life sentence.

But the business was too lucrative

to drive away other operators.

So after the closure of the Silk Road,

the number of darknet markets

exploded.

They all fought for the top spot.

Silk Road 2.0

was released just 35 days

after the closure of its predecessor.

The site survived

less than a year.

Evolution was another popular marketplace

with a comparable size

to the two Silk Roads.

To buy things on evolution,

you had to pay Bitcoin to an account on the platform,

a kind of dark web escrow account.

And once the items arrived to the customers,

the sellers were paid.

There was an incredible amount of money

with the platform operators at all times.

At some point, these operators

decided to steal this money,

a so-called exit scam.

Agora has also been named

as a worthy successor

to the original Silk Road.

But the founders

voluntarily took the site offline

in August 2015.

Business was getting too hot.

Exit scams,

arrests,

voluntary withdrawals

and hacks.

All of these were benefiting

a new emerging dark web market:

AlphaBay.

In July 2014,

a man who calls himself "Alpha02"

starts to develop AlphaBay.

Only five months later,

his platform goes live.

Initially,

only stolen credit card data

is offered and sold,

but AlphaBay

quickly begins to offer more lucrative products.

In addition to data and logins,

there are now drugs, weapons

and malware.

Services such as money laundering

are also offered.

Few things are forbidden.

But items or data related to child abuse

hit-and-runs

and stolen bank account information from Russia

is strictly prohibited.

AlphaO2

probably doesn't want to mess

with Russian law enforcement agencies.

Maybe

he also wants to pretend to be Russian

in order to mislead investigators.

The website itself

works similar to Amazon.

It is user-friendly,

there are search functions,

filters and categories

You are able to pay with Bitcoin,

Monero or Ethereum.

This is supposed to provide anonymity.

AlphaBay even offers

a so-called tumbler,

purchases are blurred

by bundling multiple transactions

from different people.

The platform works well

and dominates the dark web.

While other marketplaces

popped up and disappeared.

AlphaBay remains strong.

The number of users is growing rapidly.

Barely a year after it was founded,

the site has more than 200,000

registered users and 40,000 sellers.

In 2017

AlphaBay has over

300,000 items on their website

and over half a million dollars in sales

every day.

AlphaO2 is making money

with every single transaction

receiving a share between 2 to 4%.

He becomes a multimillionaire.

Right now,

an entire team is working on AlphaBay.

Alpha02 has a representative named "DeSnake",

several moderators who handle disputes

between buyers and sellers

and a PR manager.

With the site's explosive success

the founder decides to retire

from day-to-day operations.

He renames himself.

"Alpha02" simply becomes "Admin"

From now on, communication

only runs through

“DeSnake”.

As AlphaO2 retreats,

American investigators

are paying more and more attention

to his true identity.

Who is the powerful mastermind

behind the platform

ruling the dark side of the Internet?

A hunt that stretches across the globe

and will last for more than several years

begins.

You don't have to surf the dark web

to find malware.

The regular Internet is full

of malicious ads and pop-ups.

That brings us to NordVPN.

NordVPN has many features,

such as built-in threat protection,

which can detect and block

malicious ads and pop-ups on websites.

With a VPN

you can also change

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The American investigators

want to find out

where AlphaBay servers are located.

With access to the servers

they can close the platform

or secretly infiltrate it

and perhaps locate the operators.

IP addresses

provide information

about the locations of users and servers.

In closed networks like TOR.

Website requests are routed through

a number of random servers

around the world.

Routing through many servers cannot be traced back.

It is purposely made difficult

to find out where servers,

operators and sellers are located.

Because of that,

the American investigators

had to try a different way.

They start browsing the platform

and buy drugs anonymously,

hoping for any mistakes by the sellers.

Perhaps the product's packaging

or postage stamps

can provide clues to the identity

of the respective drug dealer.

Then they could arrest him.

But these are just the small fish.

Dealers come and go.

Investigators want Alpha02.

But the mastermind behind AlphaBay

seems to take every precaution.

He seems to know every rule

of the game.

So the investigators become desperate

until December 2016.

Robert Miller sits behind his desk

in Fresno, California.

He works for the DEA,

the American Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

He's working on AlphaBay.

And until this day,

it was a pretty thankless job.

But suddenly, an email

appears in his inbox.

The sender is anonymous.

It seems like AlphaO2

made a fatal mistake

in the early days of AlphaBay.

Every user who registered

on the website at the time

received a welcome email.

The email address of the true sender

was visible in the metadata

of this email.

Although the error was immediately corrected,

the anonymous tipster saved

one of those first welcome emails.

Maybe the tipster was one

of Alpha02's first customers,

maybe an operator of a competing site

that got a hold of the mail somehow.

Who knows?

Anyway,

he silently watched AlphaBay

growing on the dark web,

only to then hand the mail address

over to the DEA.

The email address is...

pimp...

[email protected]

This email

was the breakthrough

for Millar and his colleagues

Via the email address,

the investigators find photos from 2008

and 2009 of an "Alex" on Skyrock.com

That's a French-language social media platform.

He also linked an old dating profile.

The profile lists Trois-Rivières as his hometown.

It is located in southern Quebec, Canada.

According to the profile,

he was 17 years old at the time.

So the 91 in his email address

could be the year he was born.

He would have been 23 years old

when AlphaBay was founded.

The username "Alpha02" also appears

on a French-language technology forum.

In 2008 he explained how to remove a virus

from an image.

His email address is at the bottom of the post

and also his full name.

Alexandre Cazes.

The investigators have his name,

but where is he?

They find Caze's PayPal account.

He provided his private email address there as well.

Through his LinkedIn profile,

they also find out that he works

as a freelance software designer.

He also seems to run his own tech company

called EBX Technologies.

On Facebook the investigators find the profile

of his fiancee,

a Thai woman.

Apparently, the Canadian lives in Thailand.

The clues lead investigators

to the country's capital,

Bangkok.

With the help of Thai authorities,

the investigative team identifies

three properties owned by Cazes in the city.

One house is located in a gated community.

Alpha02 lives there with his wife.

Then there's a second house

and a 3 million worth mansion

in the outskirts of Bangkok.

He also has a holiday home in Phuket

and is in the process

of buying another villa in Cyprus.

Investigators begin tailing him.

The lifestyle of the multi-millionaire,

includes several cars.

Cazes enjoys driving around Bangkok

in his Lamborghini.

Agents watch him,

follow his routes

and track his iPhone.

Whereas Cazes lives in a beautiful house of his wife,

He invites his many affairs

to one of his other houses in Bangkok.

The investigators called that place

the "Bachelor Pad".

Cazes is an active member

of a pickup artist forum.

There, men give each other advice

on how to be successful with women.

Under the name Rawmeo

Cazes publishes conservative family values

and keeps a quasi-sexist live blog

about his "successful" sex life.

Other than that,

his everyday life is quite normal.

Pretty unspectacular

for the King of the dark web.

He gets up early,

checks his social media accounts,

works and is home a lot.

From time to time,

he attends a language course

or goes out to eat with his wife.

Around these routines,

the authorities meticulously plan

his arrest.

In June 2017,

a few weeks before the attack,

a few American agents

were sitting in the lounge

of the 5-star Athenee Hotel

in Bangkok.

Suddenly Cazes appears.

He parks his Porsche Panamera

at the entrance and casually

strolls through the lobby area

straight towards the agents.

There are thousands of hotels in Bangkok.

Are they busted?

Has the king of the dark web outwitted them?

Cazes sits at a table

a few meters away from the agents.

They have never been so close to him.

But he only meets for a business dinner.

An incredible coincidence.

At this point,

no one suspects

that just one month later,

Cazes

will be dead.

AlphaBay

is the largest darknet

market in the world at this time.

But there is competition.

In Europe, the Hansa Market is growing rapidly,

keeping European authorities busy.

Dutch investigators

find the servers of the Hansa Market

thanks to a tip

from a security researcher.

They're located

in a data center

in the Netherlands.

Unique opportunity arises.

They monitor the servers,

copy the data

and dig through countless chat entries

from the operators of the site.

They find out that the operators are Germans,

who probably still live in Germany.

Together with the German

Federal Criminal Police ("BKA"),

the Dutch want to bring the Hansa Market

under their control.

But suddenly the Hansa Market disappears

from the Dutch servers.

The admins probably found out

that their servers had been copied.

In the chats of the operators

the authorities also find

a few Bitcoin addresses.

They start tracking the transactions

of these bitcoin wallets

until they end up

at a Dutch crypto exchange.

They contact the exchange

and ask for the data.

The bitcoins lead to Lithuania.

Together with the authorities there,

the Germans and the Dutch

try and locate the new servers.

This time the authorities want to strike.

But something unexpected happens.

The FBI tells European authorities

about their plans to arrest AlphaO2

and to shut down AlphaBay.

"Operation Bayonet" is born.

The operation is led by the FBI and DEA

and involves the cooperation

of law enforcement agencies

from a total of 7 countries.

Europol is also involved.

The FBI is instructed to wait

with the takedown of AlphaBay

until the Dutch in cooperation

with the Germans

have taken control

of the Hansa Market.

If AlphaBay is taken down,

Hansa would be swamped

with new buyers and sellers.

This is often the case

in the dark web

when a site closes

or if there's an exit scam,

customers and dealers

simply move.

But this time,

customers and dealers would move to a site

that's been hijacked by law enforcement.

With that data,

the Dutch could convict thousands

of unsuspecting criminals.

A honeypot.

Alexander Cazes knows nothing.

He continues to drive through Bangkok

in his Lamborghini,

writes nonsense in his favorite forum

and cheats on his wife.

On June 20th, 2017,

the first part of the mission succeeds.

The data center in Lithuania

is stormed by Dutch forces.

At the same time,

German authorities arrest the two operators

of the Hansa Market

in Siegen and Cologne.

The operators cannot warn anyone

before their arrest.

The Hansa Market

is under Dutch control

and nobody in the dark web

knows about it.

July 5th, 2017, Bangkok.

It’s time.

There's a warrant for Cazes.

Today, the Royal Thai Police,

DEA and FBI

will arrest him.

Alpha02 could finally be put down

after more than 2 years.

A gray Toyota Camry

drives down a dead-end road

towards Cazes house

with the Royal Thai Police force agent

at the wheel.

She tells the security guard

that she took a wrong turn.

She wants to turn around,

but "unintentionally" causes

a minor accident.

The noise and chaos

are supposed to lure Cazes

out of his house.

He's supposed to come out spontaneously

without thinking about it.

This part is important:

In the optimal case,

his devices should stay unlocked

when he is getting arrested.

If his hard drives were locked and encrypted,

it would be difficult for authorities

to access AlphaBay.

Cazes leaves his house

and approaches the Toyota.

He has a cell phone on him.

Suddenly,

several officers try to catch Cazes.

He attempts to run back inside,

possibly to shut down his computer.

But he's overpowered.

The investigators run into his house

and look for his laptop.

It's in the bedroom

on and not on Stand by.

The officials have caught him.

Alpha02

is still logged into the server

hosting AlphaBay.

Investigators searched the laptop

and find multiple passwords

for the AlphaBay website

and servers.

The Canadian had a fortune

of $23 million.

Authorities confiscated his luxury cars,

houses a hotel

and millions in cryptocurrency.

Cazes wife is charged.

The Thai woman is accused

of money laundering.

[Trigger Warning Suicide - Skip Forward 20 Seconds]

1 week later, on July 12.

Alexander Cazes

is dead.

He committed suicide while in custody.

The King of the Dark Web

is history.

The shutdown of AlphaBay by authorities

is being purposely kept secret

for the time being

when the platform is suddenly offline,

no one knows why.

An exit scam?

A hack?

Have the operators retired?

As expected,

countless users migrate

to the other Darknet platforms,

including the Hansa Market.

For four weeks,

the Dutch authorities

watched thousands of criminals

trade on the platform.

They collect valuable incriminating evidence.

So on July 20th, 2017,

the Hansa Market is shut down as well.

On the same day,

the US Department of Justice

announces the end of AlphaBay

and Hansa,

a gigantic success

for the global authorities.

The dark web itself

is not an evil technology

just for criminals.

We need places on the Internet

in which whistleblowers and journalists

are relatively safe.

Marketplaces like AlphaBay

or however still part of the picture.

The global game of

cat-and-mouse is far from over.

The demand for illegal drugs,

weapons, counterfeit money

and malware is too high.

It didn't take long

for the Hansa Market

and AlphaBay

to be forgotten.

Users flocked to other existing platforms.

A number of new Darknet markets

sprouted up

and positioned themselves better

than the former market leaders.

The Russian Darknet market Hydra

was at times more than twice the size

of AlphaBay.

In 2021,

it was also shut down

by German and American authorities.

So now there's a new contest

for the title

of the King of the Dark Web.

A promising contender

is the "DeSnake".

He relaunched AlphaBay in 2021

and still runs the darknet marketplace

to this day.