Silk Highway drug market’s ‘mentor’ sentenced to twenty years in jail

A senior advisor to the Silk Highway darkish net market was sentenced Tuesday to twenty years in jail and ordered to pay $1.6 million for his function in distributing “large portions of narcotics” by the positioning.

Roger Thomas Clark, a 61-year-old Canadian citizen recognized on-line as Selection Jones, suggested Silk Highway’s founder Ross Ulbricht on all features of the enterprise, based on prosecutors. Ulbricht described Clark as a “actual mentor,” who impressed him and helped “to construct a model that individuals can come to belief.”

Clark has already spent greater than seven years behind bars after being arrested in Thailand in 2015 and extradited to the U.S. in 2018. Clark’s protection lawyer argued that he confronted mistreatment in a Thai jail and medical negligence throughout his 5 years in U.S. custody. His listening to was delayed a number of instances as a result of pandemic, restricted entry to authorized supplies, and accidents and diseases whereas in jail.

Ulbricht, 39, often known as Dread Pirate Roberts, is already serving a life sentence after he was convicted in 2015 of operating Silk Highway.

Throughout its operation from 2011 till 2013, Silk Highway was utilized by 1000’s of drug sellers to distribute narcotics and different illicit items and providers to greater than 100,000 patrons and to launder tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} from these illegal transactions.

Clark’s help

Based on the indictment, Clark suggested Silk Highway’s founder about safety vulnerabilities out there’s website, technical infrastructure, the principles that ruled the platform’s customers and distributors, in addition to the promotion of narcotic gross sales on the positioning.

Clark additionally helped Ulbricht to develop a “cowl story” to make it seem as if Ulbricht had bought Silk Highway. He additionally gathered info to counter legislation enforcement’s efforts to research the enterprise.

Clark additionally steered that Ulbricht fee a murder-for-hire in opposition to certainly one of its workers members — the homicide was by no means carried out, however Ulbricht paid the purported hitman $80,000 for the job underneath the idea that it was accomplished.

“Roger Thomas Clark was a central determine in serving to to steer Silk Highway and in advocating violence, even homicide, to guard this digital drug empire,” stated U.S. Legal professional Damian Williams.

Clark, nonetheless, stated that his work on the Silk Highway had at all times been motivated by his political perception that medication needs to be legalized. He argued that the tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in darkish net drug transactions he facilitated have been comparatively safer than bodily drug offers.

In courtroom on Tuesday he stated that he was each “proud and ashamed” of his involvement within the Silk Highway’s operation.