RCMP Arrested Empire Vendor AlwaysOvrWeight

A year-long investigation by the RCMP resulted in the arrest of a prolific darkweb vendor known as AlwaysOvrWeight. During the course of the investigation, the RCMP arrested three suspects, raided two houses, and dismantled a GHB processing lab.
Updated on May 31, 2022: RCMP Arrested Three in “AlwaysOverweight” Case
The RCMP’s Federal Serious and Organized Crime team launched an investigation in January 2019 that targeted a darkweb vendor in Nanaimo. According to the RCMP, the case involved drug distribution through “the dark web and bitcoin exchanges.” The target, a vendor identified as AlwaysOvrWeight, sold a variety of substances, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, GHB, ketamine, and fentanyl. The vendor sold primarily to customers in Canada.

AlwaysOvrWeight had a profile on Empire Market where he had an average feedback of 99% and had completed 1,257 orders.<style>.ajr>details{max-height:350px;overflow:auto}</style>
<details class="ajr"><summary>Empire Market - AlwaysOvrWeight</summary>
Total Feedback: 1257
Rating: 99.89
PGP Key ID: <code>0894E2C4E24D160328B21676074306792204F319</code>
</details>
Investigators also learned that AlwaysOvrWeight used the handle bcpremo88 on encrypted messaging platforms. They did not explain how this information had helped investigators identify the suspects, though.
On February 4, 2020, RCMP officers executed search warrants at two Nanaimo homes. In the first raid, officers located and dismantled a GHB processing laboratory. The house also contained drug packaging and shipping material. During the second raid, officers arrested all three suspects and discovered “evidence of drug trafficking using the dark web.”
The RCMP released very little information about the investigation. They noted that investigators had used both “conventional and non-conventional techniques” to link the suspects to the vendor account and that Canada Post had provided the RCMP with “co-operation and support,” police said.
“This marks the success of a challenging project. The RCMP in B.C. will continue to work to enhance public safety for all Canadians, in the real and virtual world,” said RCMP Supt. Richard Bergevin.

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Update One: A user sent an email from AO’s email address with the following content:
Hello,

Please take the article down that says I am arrested.
That is not me and I am not associated with whoever is in this article at all.
Every minute that your article is up I am losing business which isnt fair at all.

Update two
Dread user /u/AlwaysOvrweight on this topic:
What do you know by reading this article? Nothing.

Thank you to whoever banned my account.

I am not arrested or under LE control, nor am I associated with whoever this article is about. This goes to show how retarded the Canadian Police force really is, wonderful use of our tax dollars.

If you don’t believe me encrypt all your messages to me and I can decrypt them with my normal pgp key.

Back to business as usual.

AO

And one user’s response:
Dude, how do you expect people should react?
Decrypting PGP messages wouldn’t really prove anything, other than that you have possession of the private key.
And if you’ve been arrested, it’s safe to assume you == rcmp.

And a different opinion from another user:
We don’t think its AO that was busted.
Reasons:
-The bust happened in a small isolated city. No large vendor would be shipping from there.
-Positive feedback is still rolling in even though the bust happened 10 days ago.
Either the RCMP caught another vendor or they caught someone trying to impersonate AO.
If we were AO, we would make sure OPSEC is 100% and possibly even discard the AO vendor name.