Despite the anonymity tools available, many darknet operators and major vendors have been identified and arrested. Each case reveals valuable lessons about OPSEC failures and investigation methods.
Major Arrests Timeline
2013
Ross Ulbricht (Dread Pirate Roberts) - Silk Road
2014
Blake Benthall (Defcon) - Silk Road 2.0
2017
Alexandre Cazes (Alpha02) - AlphaBay
2019
Wall Street Market administrators
2021
Roman Sterlingov - Bitcoin Fog
Common OPSEC Failures
| Person | Critical Mistake |
|---|---|
| Ross Ulbricht | Personal email in early forum post |
| Alexandre Cazes | Personal email in password reset |
| Blake Benthall | Personal email for server registration |
| Hector Monsegur | Connected without Tor once |