Jump to content

Silk Road drug website founder jailed


Creed Diskenth

Recommended Posts

The founder of online illegal drug marketplace "The Silk Road", Ross Ulbricht, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Prosecutors say that his dark web site sold more than $200m (£131m) worth of drugs anonymously.

He was found guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking.

The site was shut down in 2013 after police arrested Ulbricht.

In February he was was convicted by a federal court in New York of operating the site for nearly three years from 2011.

Users used the online currency Bitcoin to purchase drugs such as heroin, cocaine and LSD.

The untraceable deals earned him at least $18m.

Prosecutors say that six people who died from overdoses bought drugs via the site.

 

The Silk Road was only accessible on the dark web, a part of the internet that requires the specialist Tor software to access.

Tor was created by the US government to help provide activists with anonymity but is now often used to mask illegal transactions.

As well as drugs, the Silk Road also offered hacking equipment and stolen passports.

Prosecutors had sought the heavy sentence as a deterrent.

US District Judge Katherine Forrest told Ulbricht that he was "no better a person than any other drug dealer".

"There must be no doubt that lawlessness will not be tolerated," she told a tearful Ulbricht.

Ulbricht had expressed remorse and had written to the judge begging to not receive a life sentence as it was akin to a death sentence.

"I know you must take away my middle years," he wrote. "but please leave me my old age."

 

The 31-year-old physics graduate and former boy scout was handed five sentences: one for 20 years, one for 15 years, one for five and two for life. All are to be served concurrently with no chance of parole.

The judge handed out the most severe sentence available to the man US authorities identified as “Dread Pirate Roberts”, pseudonymous founder of an Amazon-like online market for illegal goods.

 

 

Augustus-Hill-oz-hbo-11078298-500-400.jp

 

life without the possibility of parole

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well it doesn't fit

 

the BMF brothers got 30 years each and they're said to have made $270 million through their work

the amount this site has shifted was $200m, and the guy only made $18 million

 

not to mention how this operation would have had much less violence, gang involvement, corruption, etc, that traditional drug operations would involve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because the crime isn't worse than murder or child abuse yet they're allowed back out at some point in their life and he isn't..

 

 

Morally I agree, but drugs do damage that cannot be measured so simply

 

Drugs can help create the situations/environment that breed monsters that commit the crimes you're talking.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Meant in terms of making an example out of those involved. Saw on the news he was one of only 3 or 4 to get arrested in the city.

 

But, I bumped into him last year and he seemed pretty optimistic about how long he'd be around for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...