Ross Ulbricht: Trump pardons 'Silk Road' drug kingpin

Operator of the dark website had been serving two life sentences

Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the website Silk Road, was issued a pardon. Reuters

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the man behind the “Silk Road” online marketplace that enabled millions of dollars of drug sales.

It was the latest in several pardons and commutations Mr Trump has issued since taking office.

Mr Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 after being convicted of masterminding the “dark web” platform, on which about $200 million in narcotics were sold to customers globally.

Mr Ulbricht, who ran Silk Road under the alias “Dread Pirate Roberts” had been accused of commissioning five murders. He was sentenced to two life sentences for narcotics distribution and criminal enterprise.

During his election campaign, Mr Trump had promised to free Mr Ulbricht during a speech at the Libertarian National Convention, as he sought to gain the fringe party's support.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honour of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son,” Mr Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website.

Mr Ulbricht's case had become an issue in libertarian circles, with supporters decrying the conviction as government overreach and against the principles of free markets.

“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponisation of government against me,” Mr Trump said.