Thailand Police seizes Assets of Late Alleged Mastermind behind AlphaBay

Thailand Police officials have seized almost $21 million worth of assets ranging from cryptocurrency to fleet of cars. These assets belonged to the alleged late founder of the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, one of the two largest markets which were taken by the FBI this month.

He died by committing suicide on July 24th in his jail cell at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok where he was waiting to be extradited to the U.S.

25-year-old Canadian citizen Alexandre Cazes, a computer wizard who according to reports had an IQ of 142 was arrested by police in Thailand at the request of the United States where he was wanted on about 16 charges including conspiracy, racketeering, identity theft, money laundering and other crimes.

General Chalermkiat Sriworakhan, the Deputy National Police Commissioner stated that Alexandre Cazes and his network might have amassed millions of dollars through their illegal activities.

“We have seized over 700 million baht (equivalent to $21 million) worth of assets, cars, and cryptocurrency,” Chalermkiat told Reuters. As to whether he was provided with a lawyer or if the police had offered him one is still unknown, as that has been the case in Thailand for some time.

The Chief Police of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau Lt Sommai Kongwisaisuk also said that everything was under control and in no way will Casez’ death affect the ongoing investigation.

AlphaBay was considered the biggest online darknet marketplace for drugs. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were estimated to be generated through daily transactions.

Cazes, who was alleged to be “Alpha02” by many in the online business operated primarily from Thailand where he owned many properties and also married his wife Sunisa Casez, who is also in custody facing money laundering charges.

While he was married, he still viewed himself as the Casanova or player type occasionally bragging about how he cheated on his wife.

“I have a secondary residence that no one knows about – and that’s where I bring girls” he once wrote on the Roosh V forum of which he was registered with the username “Rawmeo.”

He was vibrant on the internet and some of the posts he made years back were retrieved where he branded himself as a “professional cheater”. He also believed women living in the West were “poisoned by feminism and also described Muslims who migrated to Canada as “breeding like bedbugs.”

Reports suggest he was very active on the Roosh V forum and posted many times on the forum which sometimes caused a stir among the members.

Some of the forum users at one point wouldn’t believe Rawmeo’s claim that he drove a Porsche and challenged him to explain how he became so rich so quickly and in an attempt to prove his Porsche ownership, sent a video of himself driving the Porsche. He later posted on the forum saying “We all have a business; we all have our own ways to get some money.”

His most discussed forum contribution came last year when he wrote a 7,500-word post talking about dating and “wife-hunting” in Thailand.

He went ahead to write that he moved from Quebec to Thailand to search for a wife saying he left a broken society to live in a traditional one.” He arrived in Thailand in 2010, learned to speak Thai by attending a language school, opened bank accounts and purchased many luxurious houses, and drove a Porsche Panamera because “Thai girls love supercars.” He established AlphaBay in 2014 which grew to be the largest darknet marketplace which had over 200,000 members at the time it was taken down.

Cazes’ arrest came as the aftermath of a police operation called Bayonet, which involved authorities in six countries including the FBI, the Dutch National Police, Canadian Police, Lithuanian Police and the Royal Thai Police.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated last week that, AlphaBay was “the largest darknet marketplace in history” when he announced its shutdown by the U.S. Justice Department.

His parents, however, seemed to be totally ignorant of his alleged illegal dealings, attitude, and lifestyle. His stepmother labeled him a “good boy” in an interview with his father also describing him to a Montreal newspaper as “an extraordinary young man” and “a little genius” with no criminal record.

His parents went ahead to question the charges against him and his reported suicide in jail. “Let’s see if we can really kill ourselves with a towel attached to a door handle,” his stepmother wrote on Facebook in French. “Try it and see . . . it’s impossible.”