Pardoned Drug Market Mastermind Sings Trump’s Praises: ‘Man of His Word’
Ross Ulbricht had been serving a life sentence for creating the notorious Silk Road site.
Screenshot/Ross Ulbricht/X
Ross Ulbricht, the recently pardoned mastermind behind the Silk Road online black market, posted a video Thursday praising Donald Trump and thanking him for his release.
“Let it be known that Donald Trump is a man of his word,” he said, putting his hand to his heart. “Thank you so much, President Trump, for giving me this amazing blessing. I am so, so grateful to have my life back and my future back, to have this second chance.”
— Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) January 24, 2025
On the campaign trail, Trump had promised to pardon Ulbricht, now 40, who was arrested in 2013 for creating and running an anonymous black market on the dark web that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of illegal goods and services, including drugs like heroin and cocaine. He was sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking, computer hacking, and money laundering.
Libertarians and crypto fans had long called for Ulbricht’s release, and on Tuesday, Trump announced that he was issuing him a full and unconditional pardon “in honor” of the libertarians who had voted for him.
President Donald Trump has spent the week signing executive orders, including a pardon for Ross Ulbricht.
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
The same day, he threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from Chinese, claiming “they’re sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada” which then made its way into the U.S.
Ulbricht’s supporters have long argued he wasn’t personally selling the drugs and was therefore a political prisoner. The court took the view that earning $13 million worth of Bitcoin in commissions on the sales was close enough.
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“It feels amazing to be free, to say the least,” Ulbricht said in his video, adding that it’s also “overwhelming” and that he plans to take time to be with his family so they can “reunite” and “be whole again and heal.”
He also called his pardon an “important moment” for anyone who “loves freedom and who cares about second chances.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation