FBI seizes underground drug market Silk Road, owner indicted in New York

[Maestro]

FBI seizes underground drug market Silk Road, owner indicted in New York

The site was doing more than $1.2 billion in business, according to a criminal complaint

By Adrianne Jeffries on October 2, 2013 11:44 am

It appears the Federal Bureau of Investigation has finally cracked down on Silk Road, the underground marketplace where users could buy cocaine, heroin, meth, and more using the virtual currency Bitcoin. The Verge has obtained a copy of the criminal complaint, civil forfeiture complaint, and protective order filed in the Southern District of New York against Ross Ulbricht, who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the site and the handle Dread Pirate Roberts.

Ulbricht is being charged with narcotics trafficking conspiracy, computer hacking conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. The site, which is only accessible through the anonymizing Tor network, has been pulled and replaced with an FBI notice. The Silk Road forums are still operating, suggesting they were hosted on a different server.

The complaint is based on statements made by Christopher Tarbell, an FBI agent who has been tracking Silk Road out of the cybercrime division in New York. Tarbell acknowledges "undercover activity" by himself and other law enforcement agents, something users have suspected for a long time.

Read more: http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/2/4794780/fbi-seizes-underground-drug-market-silk-road-owner-indicted-in-new

[F430murci]

This is a crazy story if you read the criminal court filings. What he did, how he covered his tracks, the fake IDs, his room mates not knowing his real name, he had two people knocked off that tried to extort him by threatening to expose names of his customers. Interesting how he got caught. Dude screwed up and posted a question about security issues on a blog and used his real name, then he changed back to Frosty handle about a minute later, but FBI had record of it.

[HoudiniXLogic]

Of course government would want to stop illegal drugs. I mean, its the only thing that makes the public question the government, and helps to create individualism.

As long as you're a system slave and stick to the alcohol and cigarettes, because after all, they're even more dangerous than an ecstacy pill.

[F430murci]

Of course government would want to stop illegal drugs. I mean, its the only thing that makes the public question the government, and helps to create individualism.

As long as you're a system slave and stick to the alcohol and cigarettes, because after all, they're even more dangerous than an ecstacy pill.

Sad if you needs drugs to "create individualism." Sad if you smoke or drink too much. Life has so much to offer. Perhaps too many drugs are making you question the government. What you may perceive as enlightenment may be nothing more than drug induced paranoia.

I am certainly no angle and was a down right wild child growing up in surfing circles. I have more freedom and individualism off that stuff than I ever had on it.

The Silk Road stuff was dangerous and involved dangerous people. Dude paid two anonymous people to whack two other anonymous people on his site. Putting hard core drugs into the hands of children is not respectable and he deserves to go down hard, and he will.

Edited October 4, 2013 by F430murci