Drug-Peddling Website Founder Sentenced

(Fall 2015) In May, Ross Ulbricht, the man behind the Silk Road website, was sentenced to life in prison. Silk Road was a “hidden” site that acted as a huge online black market for illicit drugs such as LSD, cocaine and heroin. Ulbricht acted as the operation’s kingpin, and even though he did not have physical possession of the drugs, the prosecuting attorney argued that Ulbricht was ultimately to blame for the overdoses, addictions and other social ramifications of the illegal drugs purchased from the site.

Silk Road appeared in 2011, and by the time law officials ended the operation in 2013, over 1.5 million sales flowed through it. When the site was dismantled, it featured over 13,000 listings for illicit drugs. Ulbricht’s website brought in sales of over $213 million within the three years it was active.

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