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Alexandre Cazes was just 25, but according to U.S. government documents he was the alleged mastermind behind AlphaBay, the most profitable dark web marketplace in the world, and a millionaire who owned luxury cars and multiple properties in Thailand, Cyprus and Antigua.
By his own accounting, Cazes was worth about $23 million US, including $12.5 million in properties and vehicles, and the rest in cash and crypto-currencies.
Cazes, from Trois-Rivières, Que., was arrested July 5 in Thailand, the result of what U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called "one of the most important criminal investigations of this entire year," an investigation that saw the shuttering of a market that offered weapons, drugs and stolen identities to over 200,000 customers.
Cazes was found dead in a Thai jail a week later, on July 12. U.S. Justice officials said he took his own life.
Despite his apparent success in creating an extremely profitable illegal marketplace, he was brought down by a Hotmail address and an unencrypted laptop.
The secret life of Alexandre Cazes, alleged dark web mastermind
By his own accounting, Cazes was worth about $23 million US, including $12.5 million in properties and vehicles, and the rest in cash and crypto-currencies.
Cazes, from Trois-Rivières, Que., was arrested July 5 in Thailand, the result of what U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called "one of the most important criminal investigations of this entire year," an investigation that saw the shuttering of a market that offered weapons, drugs and stolen identities to over 200,000 customers.
Cazes was found dead in a Thai jail a week later, on July 12. U.S. Justice officials said he took his own life.
Despite his apparent success in creating an extremely profitable illegal marketplace, he was brought down by a Hotmail address and an unencrypted laptop.
The secret life of Alexandre Cazes, alleged dark web mastermind