Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

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buksida
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Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by buksida »

AUTHORITIES in Thailand on Friday said the Canadian co-founder of one of the world’s biggest marketplace on the Dark Web had been found hanged in a police cell in Bangkok.

According to The Nation, the body of 26-year-old Alexander Cazes — the co-founder of Alpha Bay, was discovered in his cell at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau headquarters on Wednesday following his arrest earlier this week.

A police officer found his body after noticing a towel hanging from a toilet door. The case has been classified as suicide as it was believed that the suspect committed suicide.

Cazes’ death came ahead of a deportation hearing he was due to attend and barely days after US authorities have moved to shut down Alpha Bay, leaving many customers speculating that the administrators had deliberately taken the site off the web and running off with their money.

Police Maj Gen Chayapoj Hasunha head of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau’s intelligence division was quoted as saying that the “computer programmer”, who lived a luxurious lifestyle since moving to Thailand eight years ago, was arrested on July 5 at the request of US Authorities.

Thailand’s criminal court had issued an arrest order on June 30 after receiving a request from US law enforcement authorities.

He was also said to have been married to a Thai woman and had been running the Dark Web site where customers can obtain illicit items, from drugs to firearms, over the internet.

With the arrest, police also seized at least four Lamborghini sports cars and three properties worth some THB400 million (USD$12 million).

Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/07/ ... ZGZJTz0.97
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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by charlesh »

Imagine what would happen to Julian Assange.
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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by Takiap »

What an unfortunate incident. I suspect that there must be a few Thais who are devastated by this news. :wink:

Simply, in my opinion, another convenient suicide while in police custody.
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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by Spitfire »

He was "silenced" ...dark forces saw to that. Way too many "suicides" in Thai jails.

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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

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Westerners in Thai who are intent on killing themselves are very ingenious--remember the guy who tied his own hands behind his back and then hung himself.
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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

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Estimated Thai assets, per BKK Post, 700 million baht.........
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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by Nereus »

9 nations join probe into 'darknet' site

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general ... rknet-site

Published: 24/07/2017 at 05:30 AM
Newspaper section: News

The Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) chief insisted Sunday that a probe into AlphaBay, an online marketplace that authorities say traded in illegal drugs, firearms and counterfeit goods, has progressed.

The NSB said many more suspects will be arrested soon.

Pol Lt Gen Sommai Kongwisaisuk said a press briefing about the progress of the investigation will be held Monday even though a Canadian man believed to be the mastermind behind AlphaBay was found hanged inside a cell at the NSB on July 12.

Officials have said Alexandre Cazes hanged himself while in police custody just before a scheduled court hearing.

EDITORIAL: Closer cooperation needed
The investigation known as the "Operation Bayonet" is being carried out by authorities from nine nations - the United States, Canada, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Cypus, Lithuania and Thailand, he said.

Pol Lt Gen Sommai said the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation had sought cooperation from the NSB and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) to help investigate illegal drugs, firearms and other illegal goods that were traded through the site.

Many groups of offenders from various countries around the world traded through the website by using a digital currency.

Pol Lt Gen Sommai said that when Thailand was contacted by the US, it joined the Bayonet operation and found that Cazes, 26, from Trois-Rivieres, Canada, who was accused of masterminding AlphaBay, described as the world's leading "darknet" site, lived in Thailand for six years.

Pol Lt Gen Sommai said his police team had sufficient evidence to substantiate the charges against Cazes when they arrested him earlier this month.

He said his 700-million-baht assets believed to have been acquired illegally from online trade were also seized and his Thai wife, Sunisa Thepsuwan, was also believed be involved in the operation.

"We are trying to seek more evidence to substantiate charges against his wife. We suspect she may be involved with the drug trade and money laundering," he said.

According to NSB information, authorities have sought the forfeiture of Cazes' properties in Bangkok and Phuket and his bank accounts. His assets include high-value cars, including a Lamborghini, a Porsche, a Mini Cooper and a motorbike. He amassed a fortune of more than 700 million baht with the creation of AlphaBay a few years ago.

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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by kendo »

This has got me wondering how much more sinister the Thai underbelly of society really is.

I know five people that have died in Thailand under questionable circumstances and one of them was a good friend of mine from back home.

My old mate Johnny Ivory had a holiday romance he jacked his job in as a stone mason moved to Koh Samet.
He bought a bar with his girlfriend and life was great for him.

When we found out that he had died we were told it was a leg injury from falling off a motor bike.
A mutral friend went over to see his girlfriend to offer her support and got quite a different story.

He had had a dispute with local police that owned another bar they beat him up outside his bar in front of his girlfriend and he was arrested.
Johnny died in police custody he only lived his dream for one year.

Now I have a look on farang deaths website that records westerner deaths in the land of smiles.
I can't find any of the person's known to me so I'll ask the question is the number of deaths actually far higher than what we think.
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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by Spitfire »

There are a lot of pretty convenient suicides and tall stories about the demise of people here all the time. Unfortunately, your friend and this guy in the news article are good examples of it...OK, usually never any proof, regarding what we would call it (because they don't investigate it properly), but the foul stench of BS is hard to disperse.

I'm always amazed how quick we are all led to believe it was suicide and obviously the cameras weren't working in the sensitive cases which just feeds the cynicism.

There is mafia for everything...and I mean everything. A friend of mine went into the water dispensing machine business (those ones you see at apartment blocks etc.) and he was told by the local dark forces you can only have 3 before you have to pay "protection" money to the local above-the-law demonic tyrant or the machines will be trashed or worse. There is probably a mafia for matchsticks/paper clips and pencils too.

I think this guy in the article simply knew too much and your mate might just have said 'No' to the wrong person about "tax" or territory. Not so different from the school playground bully demanding lunch money and beating up all the naysayers.

Life is cheap here...very cheap, and we are constantly reminded of this in the news everyday. Despite having a general positive experience of living here and noting that the pros still outweigh the cons, the one thing I'll never get used to here is the constant lies/deception I come across everyday.
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Re: Canadian Dark Web kingpin found dead in Thai jail cell

Post by 404cameljockey »

At the risk of stating the obvious, foreigners in any country must learn to smile, walk away, and suck it up as much as can, be it traffic altercation, street interaction, sexual encounter, whatever. After living 12 years in Dubai I know when to avoid a certain type of local (easier there as there are so few compared to foreigners, but still valid). The laws are sometimes almost irrelevant, hidden by the macho BS. They'll kill then worry about it afterwards. Like evil children.

I understand that if you have made a business life here it's much harder to keep your head down and avoid friction with the locals. Salarymen or retirees can keep it simple, but for businessmen I guess that's just not possible.
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Re: "Minor" sports?

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Just remembered in Alice in Wonderland, the Red Queen said when told that in the other world sentencing followed the trial, she said--No here, sentencing first, trial to follow.
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