Trump Pardoned Internet Drug Lord Who Operated the Bitcoin Smokescreen 'Silk Road' from Life in Prison

Ross Ulbricht

President Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, former internet drug lord and creator of the dark web marketplace Silk Road, on Tuesday. Although Ross completed a degree in physics, he was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 for running an underground online marketplace where drug dealers and others conducted more than $200 million in illicit trade using Bitcoin, according to Reuters. Silk Road was presented as a Bitcoin operation but was an inconspicuous means of obtaining various illegal products, especially narcotics.  

Some buyers reportedly died from drugs they purchased on the site. According to CNBC, "The infamous dark web marketplace served as a global hub for illicit drug sales that prosecutors said had contributed to the death of at least six people." Reuters reports that more than 100,000 customers used Silk Road during a two year period. In 2015, Ulbricht was found guilty of distributing drugs online, conspiring to commit computer hacking and money laundering. Authorities also discovered evidence that Ulbricht solicited murder against multiple people.

Many found his decision to be a conflict of interest. Fellow politicians oppose Trump's decision to commute the internet drug dealer's sentence, especially after his statement on Truth Social—The President stated, "The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me," Trump also said on Truth Social—“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross.”

The President also commuted and pardoned the sentences of several January 6 protesters from 2021, including those who assaulted police officers during the Capital Building riot. President Trump has reportedly freed 1,500 people convicted of federal crimes this term.

To subscribe to Volume 82, click the link. To follow our Instagram, click here; for TikTok, click here!