AlphaBay
The largest darknet market of 2014–2017, seized in Operation Bayonet. Its founder was arrested in Thailand and died in custody days later; users who fled to Hansa landed on a police-run server.
AlphaBay launched in late 2014 and grew into the largest darknet market of its era, absorbing vendors and buyers after the fall of Silk Road and the exit scam of Evolution. At its peak it listed hundreds of thousands of offers and became the reference point for what a market could look like.
Operation Bayonet
In July 2017 an international coalition led by US and European agencies seized AlphaBay’s infrastructure. Its founder, Alexandre Cazes, was arrested in Thailand and died in custody days later. In a rarely matched twist, Dutch police had already taken over the smaller Hansa market and kept it running for weeks, recording the details of AlphaBay refugees as they arrived — a case study in how a takedown can be turned into a surveillance operation.
Why the name still matters
AlphaBay set the template later markets copied: escrow, vendor tiers, signed messaging. A 2021 revival under the old brand also vanished, illustrating that a famous name proves nothing about who runs a site. Full case study: AlphaBay and Hansa: Operation Bayonet.
Category: Markets