It has been quite some time since the last development took place in the ongoing Dream darknet marketplace investigation. It now seems former user OxyMonster has pleaded guilty to various charges. It is expected that he will face a lengthy jail sentence for his involvement in this notorious darknet marketplace.
OxyMonster Prepares to Pay the Piper
Everyone who has kept tabs on darknet investigations over the years will acknowledge that law enforcement officials have had their hands full in this regard. Although US officials have successfully shut down various marketplaces, it seems new ones continue to pop up. Moreover, the users who make these marketplaces successful are very difficult to catch in the act. One of those individuals goes by the name of OxyMonster, though his real name is Gal Vallerius.
The reason Vallerius is of great interest right now is that he pleaded guilty to various charges involving the sale of narcotics on the Dream darknet marketplace. Although Vallerius was arrested in September of 2017, it has taken a while to assemble a major case against him. Even so, it seems the prosecution has enough evidence to get him to plead guilty to all charges rather than fight a losing battle.
It is also interesting to note that OxyMonster was not just involved in the Dream marketplace. Indeed, he was also active on AlphaBay, Jansa Market, Valhalla, and other platforms. This clearly shows he was an active member of the growing darknet narcotics community, though it remains unclear how many of these platforms he actually sold drugs on.
According to the agents who arrested Vallerius in 2017, they were able to link his Bitcoin wallet to his identity. OxyMonster accepted Bitcoin tips for his work, but he decided not to use a mixer for this purpose. That may have been his downfall, as Bitcoin lacks the necessary anonymity and privacy to be of great value to criminals.
Moreover, the investigation took an interesting turn when Instagram accounts belonging to Vallerius showed a very similar writing style to Oxymonster. It is evident one cannot change his or her habits on the internet, and with all of this information remaining out in the open, putting two and two together became a lot easier.
With Vallerius now pleading guilty to the charges against him, it will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds. He is trying to avoid a lifetime prison sentence in the US by doing so, although it remains a bit unclear whether or not he will be successful in this regard. Considering that the US government cracked down on Ross Ulbricht, it is likely that it will continue to make an example of anyone arrested for darknet activity.