International reports this week of a murder-for-hire that allegedly targeted an unidentified White Rock family man have flooded the Internet.
But as of Thursday afternoon, the widely reported story had not prompted many calls to the seaside city's police detachment.
Staff Sgt. Lesli Roseberry told Peace Arch News that local RCMP officers did not have any requests from the FBI for their co-operation in the investigation that led to the arrest this week in San Francisco of a man suspected of masterminding an anonymous online empire – entitled Silk Road – where everything from illicit drugs and weapons to fake ID could be purchased.
In addition to running the underground Internet marketplace, the 29-year-old is accused by the FBI of trying to hire someone to kill a local site user by the name of FriendlyChemist last spring. The alleged target had reportedly threatened to reveal the identities of thousands of other users unless he was paid $500,000.
"If they conducted an investigation, it was done without our local assets, that's for sure," Roseberry said.
While the execution was reportedly confirmed to the accused, Roseberry said White Rock has been murder-free for years.
"We haven't had any sort of homicide files in at least over a decade, and we have no outstanding missing-person files," she said.
Aside from PAN's inquiry, the detachment had, as of Thursday afternoon, received one media call since word of the arrest broke.
"All the fellow asked apparently (was), 'have you had any homicides there?' and (the sergeant) said 'no, not in over a decade.' That was the extent of the conversation," Roseberry said.
According to U.S. court files, Ross William Ulbricht – a.k.a. Dread Pirate Roberts – is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, attempted witness murder, use of interstate commerce facilities in commission of murder-for-hire, and aiding and abetting.