Lifelong for brain behind Silk Road

new york - The founder and administrator of the secret online marketplace Silk Road has to imprison the rest of his life. Ross Wiliam Ulbricht, alias Dread Pirate Roberts, has been appealed against the punishment. The US was convicted in February 2015 for drug trafficking, laundering and hacking.

Silk Road was taken offline by the US government in October 2013. There were then about 14,000 ads for LSD, cyanide, metamfetamine, cocaine, heroin, mushrooms and weed. According to justice, the marketplace delivered about 183 million dollars, converted around 163 million euros.

Ulbricht found the lifelong cell punishment to be too heavy. The judges understood that, but said they should do with the laws out there. 'It is possible that we will see this policy as a tragic mistake in the future. But the democratically elected representatives of the people have chosen a policy of prohibiting and severely punishing. ''

In the United States, life in practice usually means lifelong life. Ulbricht has little chance of early release.

Ulbricht would also have commanded to kill five or six people, although the liquidations were unlikely to be executed. He was not charged with this before. The trial about one of those murder plans is still ongoing.