Jack Recider

And while he was there, he was sent to the SHU a few times, solitary confinement, one for possessing a lighter because he's a smoker and one for making a knife to defend himself in case another inmate attacked him. In this period of his life, he was a drug user. And when he got out of jail, he even got charges for possessing marijuana.

And while he was there, he was sent to the SHU a few times, solitary confinement, one for possessing a lighter because he's a smoker and one for making a knife to defend himself in case another inmate attacked him. In this period of his life, he was a drug user. And when he got out of jail, he even got charges for possessing marijuana.

And he got into some more serious drugs and moved out of Massachusetts to Rhode Island. I had been in Rhode Island for a while.

And he got into some more serious drugs and moved out of Massachusetts to Rhode Island. I had been in Rhode Island for a while.

So Sam's old ways was a lot of drug-related stuff and even running from the law. Sam has learned a lot since then, specifically that there are now online drug marketplaces. Old Sam was about to catch up with new Sam. Silk Road, the leading darknet market, was raided and shut down by the feds in 2013. But this didn't make darknet marketplaces go away.

So Sam's old ways was a lot of drug-related stuff and even running from the law. Sam has learned a lot since then, specifically that there are now online drug marketplaces. Old Sam was about to catch up with new Sam. Silk Road, the leading darknet market, was raided and shut down by the feds in 2013. But this didn't make darknet marketplaces go away.

No, Silk Road was replaced with like four other markets, and people just flocked to those. And when Sam was going through this breakup in 2017, a popular market at the time was Hansa. And Sam was particularly fascinated by this site. So he spent long nights reading through many listings and posts on there, trying to learn as much as he could about darknet marketplaces.

No, Silk Road was replaced with like four other markets, and people just flocked to those. And when Sam was going through this breakup in 2017, a popular market at the time was Hansa. And Sam was particularly fascinated by this site. So he spent long nights reading through many listings and posts on there, trying to learn as much as he could about darknet marketplaces.

At this point, Sam was neither a buyer or seller.

At this point, Sam was neither a buyer or seller.

But I thought that was really cool. Hansa required something like $200 be paid if you wanted to create a vendor account. And now that he had this, Sam was all set to start a new chapter in his life as a darknet market vendor. He didn't jump right into it, though. He was very cautious about everything.

But I thought that was really cool. Hansa required something like $200 be paid if you wanted to create a vendor account. And now that he had this, Sam was all set to start a new chapter in his life as a darknet market vendor. He didn't jump right into it, though. He was very cautious about everything.

For one, he knew a lot about OPSEC, or how to remain private online, from his knowledge of cybersecurity and computers. But then, having spent months reading thousands of posts on Hansa, really helped him get embedded into the darknet market culture. And this is a tough culture to pierce. There's little trust in some areas, and a lot of trust in others.

For one, he knew a lot about OPSEC, or how to remain private online, from his knowledge of cybersecurity and computers. But then, having spent months reading thousands of posts on Hansa, really helped him get embedded into the darknet market culture. And this is a tough culture to pierce. There's little trust in some areas, and a lot of trust in others.

which makes it feel like you're part of a criminal family at times. He had made friends and connections and started a reputation without even buying or selling a single item. And he made some observations during that time. Number one, nobody uses their real name on the dark net. In fact, everyone is trying hard to hide from their real identity.

which makes it feel like you're part of a criminal family at times. He had made friends and connections and started a reputation without even buying or selling a single item. And he made some observations during that time. Number one, nobody uses their real name on the dark net. In fact, everyone is trying hard to hide from their real identity.

Number two, you can assume everyone is a criminal or a federal agent. And three, the feds are actively looking to take down the criminals, and he would pay attention to all those methods on how the feds were catching people. So other people's missteps became his rules to live by. Do you remember what you sold at first?

Number two, you can assume everyone is a criminal or a federal agent. And three, the feds are actively looking to take down the criminals, and he would pay attention to all those methods on how the feds were catching people. So other people's missteps became his rules to live by. Do you remember what you sold at first?

Yeah. How'd it go on Hansa? How was your first dip into the vendor pool?

Yeah. How'd it go on Hansa? How was your first dip into the vendor pool?