Bitcoin transactions help police hunt Dark Web drug dealer
A French national pleaded guilty to selling narcotics on the black canvas after police were able to trace his criminal activities through his bitcoin accounts. Police arrested Gal Vallerius, 36, in September at the Atlanta airport in the United States as he was traveling to attend a beard and mustache competition, according to Bleeping Computer.
The investigators said that Vallerius, who used the name OxyMonster on the Dark Web, has established a "peak pot" in the dream market market. He did not use the market's internal payment systems that process transactions via a transaction anonymizer for his advice.
Bitcoin Trace Font Activity
The police learned that 15 of the 17 outbound pottop transactions went to Bitcoin wallets that Vallerius kept on LocalBitcoins. This allowed them to determine that he was OxyMonster. They also found similarities between Vallerius and OxyMonster's writing styles on Twitter and Instagram.
US border officials seized Vallerius' laptop during his visit to the United States in the fall and were able to confirm from his laptop that he was OxyMonster. The authorities also found other evidence on the laptop, including a PGP encryption key that it used to sign messages, Dream Market login credentials, and Bitcoin wallets with addresses that were connected to OxyMonster accounts receivable.
The criminal complaint identified OxyMonster as someone who sold cocaine, fentanyl, LSD, oxycodone and methamphetamine.
Vallerius pleads guilty
Vallerius admitted to selling oxycodone and Ritalin in the dream market and signed a plea of guilty after trying for nine months to escape life imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and intentionally to distribute illicit property and controlled substances. He faces a possible 20 years in prison, but not a life sentence.
According to the investigators, Vallerius also used the name VanDeevp and held accounts in other markets such as Evolution, Valhalla, TradRoute, Hansa Market and AlphaBay.