United States: Trump pardons the creator of an illegal drug sales site

Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had pardoned the creator of the illegal site “Silk Road,” which served as an online platform for the sale of millions of dollars of drugs around the world.

Ross Ulbricht was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison for drug trafficking and illegal business operations. His site, created in January 2011, was used to sell numerous illegal goods on the “darkweb”, including $200 million in drugs, before being shut down by the US Federal Police (FBI) in October 2013.

The 40-year-old man was also accused of having ordered five murders. “I have just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in her honor and that of the libertarian movement, which has supported me so ardently, I have the pleasure of signing a total and unconditional pardon for her son “, declared the new American president on Truth Social.

Campaign promise

Donald Trump had promised to release him during a speech in May to the convention of the Libertarian Party, a fringe movement that advocates individual freedoms and a minimal role for government.

Ulbricht’s case became famous in libertarian circles, who denounced his conviction as an attack on free market principles.

This pardon comes as Donald Trump had made law and order pillars of his electoral campaign, constantly accusing Democrats of being soft on delinquency and crime.

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