Vallerius, who police believe was the administrator for a dark web narcotics site, was arrested at Atlanta’s airport during his first trip from France to the US.
He was on his way to the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Texas to compete. Vallerius is accused of being an administrator for Dream Market—a portal hawking illegal drugs, counterfeit wares, and stolen data—as well as selling drugs like Ritalin and OxyContin through it.
He allegedly did so under the screen name “OxyMonster,” an ID reportedly verified when authorities searched his laptop upon his landing in Georgia. They also found about a half-million dollars’ worth of bitcoins, which is the currency used to conduct transactions on Dream Market.
The FBI, DHS, IRS and US Postal Inspection Service has been looking for Vallerius for almost two years.
Investigators started to follow Vallerius’ social media accounts to see if his writing style matched with that of “OxyMonster” (alleged giveaways include his propensity for writing “cheers” and using double exclamation points) and tracking his bitcoin transactions.
Vallerius is expected to be transferred soon to Miami, where he’ll face conspiracy charges and a possible life sentence.
