The Most Egregious Pardon Ever: Silk Road Drug Kingpin

[The Frankish Reich]

I haven't commented about the other pardons because (sadly) they're really not that shocking anymore.

But this one is utterly inexplicable to me. The guy was an international drug dealer on an epic scale. I read this a couple years ago, and anyone who cares about crypto, drug smuggling, and law enforcement should read it too: https://www.porchlightbooks.com/product/american-kingpin-the-epic-hunt-for-the-criminal-mastermind-behind-the-silk-road--nick-bilton/isbn/9781591848141

 

Here's a quick passage from an article that the author turned into the book:

 

Green [one of Ulbricht's henchmen] forwarded one troubling customer service complaint from a woman whose brother overdosed on heroin from Silk Road and noted that under the current system, children could use the site. Perhaps that was a hair too much freedom, Green said. DPR [Ulbrich's adopted codename] erupted: “THAT’S MY WHOLE IDEA!” Any constraints would destroy the fundamental concept, he said, and refused any assistance for the grieving sister. And yet Green stayed on, despite the insensitivity and ethical contradictions, becoming one of Silk Road’s most trusted employees.

 

https://www.wired.com/2015/04/silk-road-1/

 

A mega drug bazaar. A fantastic law enforcement investigation. A righteous conviction of a guy who is on record as not caring one whit that the poisons hawked on his marketplace were killing people and even could be accessed by children.

 

Today he stands free and pardoned of any offense. Just because, you know, crypto.

 

Remember that the next time Trump talks about fentanyl and Mexico and whatever other "tough on drugs" talk he wants to distract you with.

 

He just pardoned the CEO of the biggest illegal drug marketplace the world has ever known.

Edited 21 hours ago by The Frankish Reich

[AlBUNDY4TDS]

11 minutes ago, The Frankish Reich said:

I haven't commented about the other pardons because (sadly) they're really not that shocking anymore.

But this one is utterly inexplicable to me. The guy was an international drug dealer on an epic scale. I read this a couple years ago, and anyone who cares about crypto, drug smuggling, and law enforcement should read it too: https://www.porchlightbooks.com/product/american-kingpin-the-epic-hunt-for-the-criminal-mastermind-behind-the-silk-road--nick-bilton/isbn/9781591848141

 

Here's a quick passage from an article that the author turned into the book:

 

Green [one of Ulbricht's henchmen] forwarded one troubling customer service complaint from a woman whose brother overdosed on heroin from Silk Road and noted that under the current system, children could use the site. Perhaps that was a hair too much freedom, Green said. DPR [Ulbrich's adopted codename] erupted: “THAT’S MY WHOLE IDEA!” Any constraints would destroy the fundamental concept, he said, and refused any assistance for the grieving sister. And yet Green stayed on, despite the insensitivity and ethical contradictions, becoming one of Silk Road’s most trusted employees.

 

https://www.wired.com/2015/04/silk-road-1/

 

A mega drug bazaar. A fantastic law enforcement investigation. A righteous conviction of a guy who is on record as not caring one whit that the poisons hawked on his marketplace were killing people and even could be accessed by children.

 

Today he stands free and pardoned of any offense. Just because, you know, crypto.

 

Remember that the next time Trump talks about fentanyl and Mexico and whatever other "tough on drugs" talk he wants to distract you with.

 

He just pardoned the CEO of the biggest illegal drug marketplace the world has ever known.

Bad, but still not as bad as the Brittney Griner trade.

[4th&long]

12 hours ago, AlBUNDY4TDS said:

Bad, but still not as bad as the Brittney Griner trade.

Always someone deflecting. No one listens or cares. Weak. 

[K D]

Good thing they shut down that website. Now nobody can get drugs! The world is saved

[4th&long]

34 minutes ago, K D said:

Good thing they shut down that website. Now nobody can get drugs! The world is saved

Well we know where you got your drugs. 

[BillsFanNC]

Remember that Finding is a master of obfuscation and deflection.

 

 

 

[Roundybout]

The Trump admin is the one that proposed death penalties for drug dealers and then turns around and pardons this guy. Make it make sense!

[AlBUNDY4TDS]

9 minutes ago, Roundybout said:

The Trump admin is the one that proposed death penalties for drug dealers and then turns around and pardons this guy. Make it make sense!

Squawk louder!

[wnyguy]

That one had me scratching my head as well.

[Roundybout]

50 minutes ago, AlBUNDY4TDS said:

Squawk louder!

Address my point, then. How is this ideologically consistent?

Edited 4 hours ago by Roundybout

[AlBUNDY4TDS]

27 minutes ago, Roundybout said:

Address my point, then. How is this ideologically consistent?

Ones a marketplace, the other is being smuggled from our southern border.

[T master]

1 hour ago, wnyguy said:

That one had me scratching my head as well.

 

There are a couple that had me scratching my head . I didn't understand the thought of a blanket pardoning of everyone, i thought that it would be more of a case by case thing to be looked at which would take time but . And most that trespassed doing little or nothing would at most be given a misdemeanor & released .

 

I don't agree that those that assaulted police officers during the protest, being a parent of a police officer should have been pardoned with out a full investigation into their actions and judged accordingly . 

 

It's amazing how the punishment doesn't always fit the crime especially when it goes against the narrative in some cases .

[The Frankish Reich]

3 minutes ago, T master said:

I didn't understand the thought of a blanket pardoning of everyone, i thought that it would be more of a case by case thing to be looked at which would take time but . And most that trespassed doing little or nothing would at most be given a misdemeanor & released .

Absolutely. I said before: I had no problem pardoning those who just kind of waltzed in, walked around, and took a few pics. The prosecution made the point: it was against the law, and people should remember that in the future.

But these blanket pardons (and I include Biden's pardons of "nonviolent drug offenders") are a terrible idea. Every case is different. The facts should be looked at, at least for a few minutes. 

[wnyguy]

14 minutes ago, T master said:

 

There are a couple that had me scratching my head . I didn't understand the thought of a blanket pardoning of everyone, i thought that it would be more of a case by case thing to be looked at which would take time but . And most that trespassed doing little or nothing would at most be given a misdemeanor & released .

 

I don't agree that those that assaulted police officers during the protest, being a parent of a police officer should have been pardoned with out a full investigation into their actions and judged accordingly . 

 

It's amazing how the punishment doesn't always fit the crime especially when it goes against the narrative in some cases .

I gotta agree with you, should have been done case by case and those who acted violently should deal with the punishment they received. But they will get theirs.

 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/jan-6-rioter-case-tossed-after-trump-pardon/story?id=117982390

Edited 4 hours ago by wnyguy

[The Frankish Reich]

My experience: the vast majority of "nonviolent drug offenders" who are prosecuted at the federal level are not "nonviolent." Anything above the level of the college campus weed dealer type almost always involves the use or threatened use of violence. It is an illegal trade in contraband, and people will defend their "right" to deal in contraband with the use of threat of violence.

 

There's a few truly minor offenses, like getting busted for having weed in a National Park or something like that. But those are rare and can be easily found. Federal prosecutions themselves are a small minority of drug prosecutions in general, and are almost always about drug distribution networks rather than small-time users/dealers.

Edited 3 hours ago by The Frankish Reich