Donald Trump announced that he had pardoned Ross Ulbricht, known as a real drug lord, on January 22. Creator of “Silk Road”, a platform for selling illegal goods on the “dark web”, he was sentenced to life in prison in 2015.
This was one of the big promises made by Donald Trump during his campaign, in exchange for the support of members of the Libertarian Party: he will release Ross Ulbricht. This American, sentenced in 2015 to life in prison for drug trafficking and illegal commercial operations, is the creator of “Silk Road”, a site which was used on the “dark web” for the sale of drugs around the world.
The 40-year-old man, nicknamed the “drug king”, is also accused of having ordered five murders. However, this Wednesday, January 22, the new president stood by his words, and pardoned him.
“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 Donald Trump on his social network, Truth Social.
A market worth 190 million euros
Texas native Ross Ulbricht became interested in “libertarian philosophy” when he was twenty, he explains on his site. In 2011, when he was 26, he launched the “Silk Road” platform, as an “economic experiment” in the “free market”. A market made anonymous thanks to the cryptocurrency system.
His site, then hosted on the “dark web”, quickly became the “eBay of drugs”. It made it possible to acquire various narcotics, such as heroin, cocaine, LSD but also other illegal products and false documents.
-American authorities estimate that, in just a few years, he sold $200 million worth of drugs worldwide, or more than 190 million euros.
“Thank you for honoring your promise.”
“Silk Road” was closed by the FBI in October 2013. Its founder quickly became famous in libertarian circles, who denounced the conviction of the forty-year-old as an “attack on the principles of the free market”.
The Libertarian Party, via a post on the social network
This pardon comes after Donald Trump had made law and order pillars of his electoral campaign: he had also accused the Democrats of being too lenient with regard to delinquency and crime.
The same day of his inauguration, the 47th President of the United States also signed a decree pardoning more than 1,500 participants in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
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