World Beard Championship Contender Pleads Guilty in Drug Case

Gal Vallerius, a 36-year-old Frenchman who travelled to the U.S. to participate in the World Moustache and Beard Championships in Austin, Texas, pleaded guilty in Miami Tuesday to “participating in worldwide online illicit drug sales using the alias ‘OxyMonster,’” according to the Associated Press. Vallerius admitted to drug distribution conspiracy and money laundering, and said that he managed sales of illicit drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl through the dark-web site “Dream Market.” The online market was described in court documents as “one of the largest criminal sites” where customers can make transactions with “bitcoin and other virtual currencies,” the AP reports. Days before Vallerius was arrested in 2017, there were more than 47,000 illegal drug listings on the site. He had originally intended to compete in the championships’ full-beard category.