(CN) – The administrator of one of the world’s largest dark web marketplaces for narcotics was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday, having previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering.
French national Gal Vallerius, known on the web’s underbelly by the moniker “OxyMonster,” entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Robert Scola in the federal court in Miami in August.
Vallerius was arrested in August 2017 after authorities detained him at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Vallerius, who had flown from Paris, was en route to compete in the World Beard and Mustache Championship in Austin, Texas, the Justice Department said.
Prosecutors said Vallerius sold Oxycodone and Ritalin as “OxyMonster” on Dream Market, an illicit online marketplace operating on the “dark web.”
The 36-year old French national admitted to selling the prescription drugs through the site as well as orchestrating other sales in exchange for payment in Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies.
Investigators say Vallerius also sold cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and LSD through Dream Market.
At the time of his arrest, there were between 47,000 and 94,000 listings for illegal drugs on the site, according to court documents.
In addition to the sentence, Judge Scola said Vallerius must also forfeit Bitcoin earnings he raked in while selling the illicit drugs. The total forfeited amount equates to roughly $500,000.
“OxyMonster” holds residency in three nations: France, Israel and England. According to his lawyer, Anthony Natale, he may serve portions of his sentence in each country thanks to an international prisoner transfer program.
Vallerius has agreed to cooperate with law enforcement as they continue to investigate drug trafficking online.
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