Cops arrest man suspected of being Dream Market kingpin

"Prosecutors claim Owe Martin Andresen, 49, is the individual known by the "Speedstepper" alias, one of the few Dream Market admins identified by law enforcement in the 2019 attempts to shutter the platform. While other crime leaders on the platform have been convicted, it took the authorities years to identify their latest suspect, whom they believe was main admin of the website."

"Authorities said they tracked him down by monitoring crypto wallets, and tracking purchases of gold bars that the indictment claims were delivered to his home address. Other lower-level admins have long been convicted, including French national Gal Vallerius, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison a year after being arrested at Atlanta airport in 2017 on his way to attend the World Beard and Mustache Championships (yes, really)."

"After the platform shut down in 2019 amid mounting pressure from law enforcement, none of the suspected admins touched Dream's infrastructure, including the operation's known cryptocurrency wallets, which contained millions of dollars' worth of tokens. Three years later, between November and December 2022, Andresen allegedly accessed these numerous wallets and transferred the contents into a single, consolidated one - a step only someone with access to Dream's private key could carry out."

Owe Martin Andresen, 49, is accused in both the US and Germany of money laundering connected to the former online drug bazaar Dream Market. Prosecutors claim he is the “Speedstepper” alias and one of the few administrators identified by law enforcement. Authorities say they tracked him through monitoring cryptocurrency wallets and purchases of gold bars allegedly delivered to his home address. After Dream Market shut down in 2019, suspected administrators allegedly did not access the platform’s infrastructure, including known cryptocurrency wallets holding millions of dollars in tokens. In late 2022, Andresen allegedly accessed those wallets and consolidated their contents into a single wallet, a move requiring access to a private key. He was arrested in Germany on May 7 after a US indictment in January and faces similar charges in both countries.

Read at theregister