Trump pardons Silk Road dark web market creator Ross Ulbricht

US President Donald Trump has stated that he has signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who operated "Silk Road," a marketplace on the deep web for the sale of illegal drugs.

Ulbricht was convicted in New York in 2015 for drug and money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to life in prison. Trump posted on his "Truth Social" platform that he had called Ulbricht's mother to inform her that he had pardoned her son.

"Silk Road" was shut down in 2013 after police arrested Ulbricht. The site used the virtual currency Bitcoin to sell illegal drugs, as well as hacking equipment and stolen passports. Trump posted online, “The scoundrels who worked so hard to convict him are some of the same lunatics involved in the modern-day weaponization of government against me. He was sentenced to two life sentences plus 40 years, ridiculous!”

During the trial, prosecutors stated that Ulbricht’s website, hosted on the hidden "dark web," anonymously sold over $200 million (£131 million) worth of drugs. "Silk Road" took its name from the historic trade route that spanned parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The site gained notoriety through media coverage and online discussions. However, users could only access the site through Tor—a system that allows people to use the internet without revealing their identity or country of origin.

FBI court documents showed that the site had nearly one million registered users, but investigators said they did not know how many were active. District Judge Katherine Forrest, in sentencing Ulbricht, who held two university degrees, said that he was "no better than any other drug dealer." She said the site was his "carefully planned life's work." The judge noted that the lengthy sentence was also a message to imitators that there would be "very serious consequences."