The concept of Silk Road has been quite appealing to various people throughout the years. After the original Silk Road marketplace had been shut down, version 2.0 arrived on the scene not much later. But law enforcement managed to close down that platform as well, and the second-in-command was sentenced to eight years in prison yesterday.
Judge Does Not Take Kindly To DoctorClu
Readers who have been following the trials and tribulations of the Silk Road 2.0 platform will recall the arrest of DoctorClu in 2015. This person, real name Brian Farrell, was the right-hand man of the individual behind this notorious deep web marketplace.
The Department of Justice has been hunting down individuals involved in every iteration of the Silk Road marketplace. So far, there have been three different versions, all of which have lead to several arrests being made. Keeping in mind how these platforms could only be accessed through the Tor browser, it remains unclear how the FBI managed to identify its users through legitimate means.
Brian Farrell pleaded guilty to one count of distributing various drugs, which carry a minimum sentence of five years in prison. However, the judge sentenced him to eight years, which is the same punishment the government prosecutors had asked for. But that is not all, as Assistant US Attorney Thomas Woods stated:
“The Silk Road model presents a new threat to public safety and health. The website expands the serious drug market to all reaches of the country, and indeed the world. The website reaches those who are too apprehensive to conduct a deal on the street, or those, say in rural areas, who may not have a direct drug supplier. This new frontier is dangerous—and a clear message needs to be sent that those who peddle their poison on the internet—face serious penalties.”
It will not be the final conviction in the witch hunt against Silk Road, though. Keeping in mind how version 3.0 recently came back online after a lengthy absence, it is not unlikely law enforcement will go after the new owners. However, they will have to breach Tor once again to do so, as there are no legitimate means of obtaining personal information.
Source: Ars Technica
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