There’s a secret dark side of the web where criminals can buy and sell anything. Using these dark sites, drug dealers, scammers, human traffickers, arms dealers, and other crooks trade their illegal goods and services as easily as the rest of us use Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace.
The recent sentencing of Bryan Connor Herrell, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, puts a spotlight on a usually dark place. Herrell served as a customer service representative for the AlphaBay marketplace. AlphaBay vendors and buyers bought and sold guns, drugs, stolen IDs, stolen credit card numbers, and other illegal items.
Officials said it was Herrell’s job to mediate disputes between buyers and sellers. Herrell was also in charge of monitoring the site for scams. Nobody wants to get scammed when buying someone else’s stolen credit card information. Herrell went by the usernames “Penissmith” and “Botah.” His bosses paid him in Bitcoin for his work.
Can’t Hide Behind Technology
A US District Court Judge sentenced Herrell to 11 years in prison.
“This sentence serves as further proof that criminals cannot hide behind technology to break the law,” said U.S. Attorney Scott. “Operating behind the veil of the darknet may seem to offer shelter from criminal investigations, but people should think twice before ordering or selling drugs online—you will be caught. This office will continue using all means available to pursue darknet-based crimes, particularly those involving fentanyl, opioids, and other dangerous drugs.”
“This sentence serves as further proof that criminals cannot hide behind technology to break the law,” said U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott. “Operating behind the veil of the darknet may seem to offer shelter from criminal investigations, but people should think twice before ordering or selling drugs online—you will be caught. This office will continue using all means available to pursue darknet-based crimes, particularly those involving fentanyl, opioids, and other dangerous drugs.”
AlphaBay Founder Found Dead In Cell
Back in June of 2017, a Fresno grand jury indicted the alleged founder of AlphaBay, Alexandre Cazes. Just a month later, the Royal Thai Police, FBI, and DEA, executed an arrest warrant for Alexandre Cazes at his residence in Bangkok.
They discovered Cazes’s laptop open and unlocked. Officers found files that identified the passwords/passkeys for the AlphaBay website, the AlphaBay servers and other online identities associated with AlphaBay. Cazes, 25, was found dead in his jail cell in Thailand not long after his arrest. Authorities ruled the death a suicide.
“The FBI is committed to developing highly-trained cyber investigators who work with our international partners. We perpetually evolve to counter the threat darknet criminals pose. Cases like these exemplify how the FBI and our international partners are eliminating the false promise of anonymity dark marketplaces claim to provide and are successfully dismantling criminal organizations which prey upon communities through use of sophisticated computer code,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office. “Herrell’s sentence sends a clear message to criminals that the darknet is no safe haven for illegal transactions.”
Authorities said the investigation into AlphaBay continues.