The internet site “Utopia” was thought to be one of the potential successors, but was shut down in a police sting only a few days after it was launched. In addition to the Silk Road brand, there are also a wide variety of other online black markets through which drug transactions can take place. The only discernable difference is that the new site is using PGP encryption, which amusingly stands for “Pretty Good Privacy.” The administrator of the new site is operating under the same pseudonym as Ulbricht. Transactions through the site are completed by exchanging Bitcoin, a highly volatile form of virtual currency. A website virtually identical to the original Silk Road (referred to as Silk Road 2.0) went live almost immediately after the FBI seizure, operating under the URL “silkroad6ownowfk.onion.” The new website, like its predecessor, operates as an online platform through which drugs can be purchased and sold with impunity. Former Silk Road kingpin, Ross Ulbricht.ĭespite the FBI’s capture of ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’ and its subsequent seizure of Silk Road, law enforcement has had very little impact on preventing the flow of online drugs. Although he has pleaded not guilty, Ulbricht will face a minimum of 30 years behind bars and a maximum of life in prison if convicted. These charges are supported by approximately 10 terabytes of data seized from Silk Road servers connecting Ulbricht to the crime. He was also charged with “continuing a criminal enterprise”, a charge occasionally referred to as the “kingpin statute” which applies to criminal organizations with six or more members organized by a single leader. Four months after his arrest, the former online drug kingpin was charged with conspiracy to traffic narcotics, hack computers, and launder money.

According to the FBI, Ulbricht was making over $80 million in commissions from running the site. Ulbricht, former head of the most prolific online drug market in the world, had operated for years under the pseudonym ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’. In October 2013, the FBI seized the online drug marketplace “Silk Road” and arrested its owner, Ross Ulbricht. Online anonymity has become an increasingly politicized issue in recent years, especially in regards to the illicit drug trade. In October 2013, the online drug marketplace “Silk Road” was seized by the FBI.

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