Who Is DeSnake, the AlphaBay Co-Founder?
When AlphaBay was seized in 2017, its founder was arrested and later died in custody. His co-founder, known only by the handle DeSnake, was never publicly identified — and years later, resurfaced to relaunch the marketplace.
DeSnake is the online handle used by a co-founder of the AlphaBay dark web marketplace, one of the largest ever operated. Unlike AlphaBay's other co-founder, Alexandre Cazes, who was arrested in 2017 and died in custody, DeSnake's real-world identity has never been publicly confirmed by law enforcement or independently verified by journalists. DeSnake resurfaced publicly in 2021 to relaunch AlphaBay under the same handle, giving interviews to security researchers and journalists while remaining anonymous.
In July 2017, law enforcement seized AlphaBay and arrested its founder, Alexandre Cazes, in Thailand.
But AlphaBay reportedly had two co-founders. The second one, using only the handle DeSnake, was never named in any public indictment connected to the original takedown.
TL;DR
Quick answer
DeSnake is the unidentified handle of an AlphaBay co-founder who relaunched the marketplace in 2021, years after the original 2017 takedown and the death in custody of the other co-founder, Alexandre Cazes.
What's actually documented, versus what isn't
A co-founder who was never caught, publicly at least
AlphaBay, before its 2017 takedown, was widely reported as one of the largest dark web marketplaces in existence, trading in drugs, stolen data, and other illicit goods. Public reporting and court records identify Alexandre Cazes as its founder, arrested in Thailand in 2017 and found dead in custody days later in what Thai authorities ruled a suicide.
AlphaBay reportedly had a second co-founder operating under the handle DeSnake, described in various accounts as responsible for technical and security aspects of the marketplace. Unlike Cazes, no public indictment or law enforcement statement has confirmed DeSnake's real-world identity.
In 2021, someone using the DeSnake handle publicly resurfaced, giving interviews to cybersecurity journalists and researchers, and subsequently relaunched AlphaBay as a marketplace under the same name — an unusual, well-documented case of a dark web figure re-emerging years after their platform's original takedown.
The short version
- DeSnake is a handle, not a confirmed real name — identity remains publicly unconfirmed.
- AlphaBay's other co-founder, Alexandre Cazes, was arrested and died in custody in 2017.
- DeSnake resurfaced publicly in 2021 to relaunch AlphaBay under the same brand.
A wanted marketplace operator gave interviews to journalists without being identified
Following AlphaBay's 2021 relaunch, individuals using the DeSnake handle reportedly communicated with cybersecurity researchers and journalists, discussing the marketplace's history and relaunch, all while maintaining anonymity about their real-world identity.
It's a striking illustration of how far operational anonymity can hold up even under public scrutiny — a figure connected to a major, heavily investigated criminal marketplace was able to speak publicly for years without law enforcement publicly confirming a real name.
AlphaBay came back years after its founder died in a foreign jail cell
AlphaBay's public relaunch under the DeSnake handle came roughly four years after the original 2017 takedown and Cazes's death, making it one of the more notable examples of a major marketplace brand returning long after its apparent end.
It underscores a recurring theme across this whole topic area: marketplace brands and reputations can persist and be revived even after a dramatic, high-profile takedown, provided the underlying operator evades capture.
The co-founder who reportedly handled security was the one who stayed hidden
Public accounts describe DeSnake as having focused on the marketplace's technical security, while Cazes, the co-founder eventually caught, was reportedly found with less careful operational security around his own personal identity, including accounts and assets tied to his real name. It's a fitting, almost self-illustrating irony: the co-founder specifically responsible for security appears to have been the one who actually practiced it most rigorously on a personal level.
Misconception
Law enforcement has already identified and named the real person behind the DeSnake handle.
Reality
As of the most recent public reporting, no law enforcement agency has publicly confirmed a real-world identity for DeSnake — the handle remains publicly unattributed to a specific named individual.
Misconception
Alexandre Cazes was the sole founder of AlphaBay.
Reality
Public reporting and the DeSnake interviews themselves describe AlphaBay as having two co-founders, with DeSnake reportedly handling much of the technical and security side of the operation.
Misconception
Because DeSnake hasn't been identified, there's no ongoing legal exposure connected to the relaunched marketplace.
Reality
Operating a dark web marketplace remains a serious criminal matter regardless of whether an operator has been publicly identified, and law enforcement agencies have historically continued pursuing cases against unidentified operators for years.
Why would someone facing potential prosecution choose to speak publicly at all?
If staying hidden worked, why would DeSnake risk giving interviews and relaunching visibly?Public accounts and interviews suggest a mix of motivations sometimes cited by researchers studying such cases: rebuilding trust and credibility with a criminal marketplace's user base often requires some public communication, and a confident public presence can itself function as a demonstration of operational security — implicitly signaling that speaking publicly doesn't meaningfully increase the risk of being caught.
How Cazes's real-world assets reportedly led investigators to him
Public court records and reporting on the AlphaBay case describe investigators connecting Cazes to the marketplace partly through digital forensic evidence tied to his personal accounts and lifestyle, including luxury vehicles and properties purchased using proceeds later linked to AlphaBay operations.
It's a documented illustration of a recurring pattern in these cases: technical anonymity tools can hold up well, while ordinary financial and lifestyle choices in the physical world often become the actual point of failure.
So — who is DeSnake, really?
Publicly, an unidentified handle — a co-founder of AlphaBay whose real-world identity has never been confirmed by law enforcement or independent journalism, despite giving interviews and relaunching the marketplace years after the original takedown.
This is a case where the honest, responsible answer is 'not publicly known,' rather than speculating on unconfirmed identity claims that sometimes circulate online.
What this case says about anonymity's real limits
DeSnake's continued anonymity, contrasted with Cazes's identification and arrest, is a genuinely useful case study in where anonymity tools succeed and fail. Technical anonymity — careful handle discipline, secure communications — appears to have held up. It's the ordinary, human choices, made by Cazes and documented across many other cases on this topic, that tend to be where anonymity actually breaks down.
What to remember
- DeSnake is the handle of an AlphaBay co-founder whose real identity remains publicly unconfirmed.
- AlphaBay's other co-founder, Alexandre Cazes, was arrested in 2017 and died in custody.
- DeSnake resurfaced publicly in 2021 to relaunch AlphaBay under the same name.
- The case illustrates a common pattern: technical anonymity holding up while personal-life choices become the point of failure for others.
Questions people ask
Where to go next
Timeline of major dark web marketplace takedowns
See the original AlphaBay takedown in full context.
Who profited from the Silk Road?
Another named case of a marketplace figure and its aftermath.
Dark web movies based on true events
See how similar cases have been dramatized.
What are Tor exit node risks?
A technical topic related to anonymity limits.
Who created the dark web?
The origin story behind the technology these marketplaces used.
A name the internet still doesn't have
Most dark web stories end with an arrest and a name. This one, so far, ends with neither — a reminder that not every mystery on this topic gets a tidy resolution, no matter how much public attention it draws.
You now know
- DeSnake is the handle of an AlphaBay co-founder whose real-world identity has never been publicly confirmed.
- AlphaBay's other co-founder, Alexandre Cazes, was arrested in 2017 and died in custody shortly after.
- DeSnake resurfaced publicly in 2021 to relaunch AlphaBay, illustrating how technical anonymity can outlast a major takedown.
Safety note
Educational, not operational
This guide is educational. It does not provide instructions for illegal activity, evading law enforcement, buying prohibited goods, or attacking systems. Laws and risks vary by country, so stay within your local rules and avoid interacting with unknown services.
Common myth
Myth vs reality
Law enforcement has already identified and named the real person behind the DeSnake handle.
As of the most recent public reporting, no law enforcement agency has publicly confirmed a real-world identity for DeSnake — the handle remains publicly unattributed to a specific named individual.
FAQs
Questions people ask
Sources
Further reading
- DOJ press releases on AlphaBay
- Public journalist and researcher interviews with DeSnake
Glossary
Terms in this guide
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