[Back to the takedown index](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns) [Operation Bayonet](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/operation-bayonet) # AlphaBay seizure July 2017, Darknet market Led by [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation), [Drug Enforcement Administration](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/drug-enforcement-administration) Verified core entry, last reviewed August 21, 2026 What was taken down? Marketplace servers and hidden service seized; site taken offline; assets and cryptocurrency frozen in multiple jurisdictions.[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2) [See what happened](#what-happened) What happened to the people? Officials reported 1 charged and 1 apprehended. 1 charged and 1 apprehended named in the public record. Group accounted for: Likely complete [See people and accountability](#people) Did it stay down? After this action a successor service took over the same demand, first seen July 2017. Medium confidence in the link between the two. [See what happened afterward](#afterward) ## What happened FBI-led seizure of AlphaBay, then the largest darknet marketplace, with simultaneous arrest of founder Alexandre Cazes in Bangkok by Royal Thai Police.[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2) Announced July 20, 2017. **Date:** July 4 to July 5, 2017 **Target:** AlphaBay, tor hidden service marketplace **Activity:** Darknet market, Fraud and stolen data, Cryptocurrency laundering **Operational lead:** FBI and DEA **Partners** Europol, USAO-EDCA, and 1 more[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2) - [European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/european-union-agency-for-law-enforcement-cooperation), coordinator - [United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/united-states-attorney-s-office-for-the-eastern-district-of-california), charging - [Royal Thai Police](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/royal-thai-police), arresting **Jurisdiction:** United States, Thailand, Canada, Lithuania, and Netherlands **Outcome:** Marketplace servers and hidden service seized; site taken offline; assets and cryptocurrency frozen in multiple jurisdictions. **Status:** Completed **Legal mechanism:** US seizure and arrest warrants (Eastern District of California) plus Thai judicial cooperation and Canadian asset action **Group accounted for:** Likely complete ### Infrastructure 1 onion service seized. Servers seized, with no count in the record. | Identifier | Recorded as | Status | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Not published | 1 onion service | Seized | AlphaBay hidden service taken offline and replaced with a seizure notice.[[1]](#source-1) | | Not published | Server | Seized | Servers seized in multiple countries including Canada, the Netherlands, and Lithuania.[[1]](#source-1) | Domains and onion addresses are shown defanged. Where the record gives a count but no identifier, the count is shown in place of one. This list carries only what appears in the cited sources. ## People and accountability Named in the public record: 1 charged and 1 apprehended. Figures count individuals named in charging documents and official statements, each person once per outcome. People alleged to be involved but not publicly identified are not counted. Reported and named. Officials reported 1 charged and 1 apprehended. 1 charged and 1 apprehended named in the public record. The two figures come from different places and are never added together. Officials publish a headline total, and this index counts only the individuals it can name from the cited record. #### Alexandre Cazes Founder and administrator of AlphaBay. Current public status: Charged, Arrested, and Deceased. **Charging authority:** United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California **Main charges:** Narcotics distribution conspiracy; Identity theft; Money laundering conspiracy **Case number:** 1:17-CR-00144-LJO **Arresting authority:** Royal Thai Police **Arrest location:** Bangkok, Thailand **Extradition status:** Not established in the public record **Conviction or plea:** Not established in the public record **Sentence:** Not established in the public record **Segment:** Core operator **Sources:** [[1]](#source-1) **Full record:** [Everything indexed for Alexandre Cazes](https://takedownindex.org/people/alexandre-cazes) Group accounted for: Likely complete The sole controlling administrator was arrested and the infrastructure seized. Subordinate staff were not comprehensively charged, so absolute certainty is not available. Single founder-administrator with a small moderator and security staff; only the founder was publicly charged in the 2017 action. [See the organizations and roles behind this action](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/alphabay-seizure/organizations) ## What happened afterward Cazes died in Thai custody days after arrest; forfeiture proceedings continued.[[1]](#source-1)[[2]](#source-2) July 2017 Post-AlphaBay market ecosystem. Ecosystem successor. Confidence: Medium. Not established.[[2]](#source-2) Users migrated to Dream Market and other venues, which was the intended effect of the parallel Hansa operation. Return class E. The class is a research grading carried in the source dataset and its scale is not published, so this page relies on the relationship and confidence values instead. [How this index handles it](https://takedownindex.org/about). ## Sources Numbered markers throughout this entry link to the source that supports the claim beside them. ### Official sources 1. [AlphaBay, the Largest Online 'Dark Market,' Shut Down](https://takedownindex.org/sources/united-states-department-of-justice-alphabay-the-largest-online-dark-market-shut) United States Department of Justice, July 20, 2017, Source grade P1 AlphaBay seizure, Cazes arrest and death, charges, scale figures No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher. 2. [Massive blow to criminal dark web activities after globally coordinated operation](https://takedownindex.org/sources/europol-massive-blow-to-criminal-dark-web-activities-after-globally-coordinated-) Europol, July 20, 2017, Source grade P2 Joint AlphaBay and Hansa operation structure and coordination roles No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher. Coverage note. - AlphaBay scale figures reported at announcement: over 200,000 users, roughly 40,000 vendors, roughly 250,000 listings. - A later service using the AlphaBay brand appeared in 2021 under an alleged former staff member; recorded as a resurgence, not as continuity of this operator. Research context ## How this entry was checked This entry went through a dedicated source verification pass. Publisher, title, publication date, and docket numbers were confirmed against each cited source. Source review: Verified core Sources cited: 2 Research cutoff: August 20, 2026 Last reviewed August 21, 2026 See also [About the Internet Takedown Index](https://takedownindex.org/about) Related entries - [BTC-e disruption](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/btc-e-disruption) - [Avalanche network takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/avalanche-network-takedown) - [Backpage.com seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/backpage-com-seizure) Report updates or corrections Help keep this record accurate. [Submit feedback](https://takedownindex.org/about#corrections-and-updates)