Law enforcement said Ulbricht created the “most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace” on the internet.

Donald Trump pardoned the creator of the world’s first dark-web drug market, who is now a libertarian cause célèbre in some parts of the crypto community.

President Trump announced Tuesday night that he had granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of the notorious dark web site Silk Road.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison for running an underground online marketplace where drug dealers and others conducted more than $200 million in illicit trade using bitcoin.

Ulbricht operated the anonymous digital marketplace known as Silk Road when law enforcement arrested him. The pardon fulfills a campaign pledge Trump made to Ulbricht's Libertarian supporters.

In a move that has sparked debate, President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road dark web marketplace, who had been serving two life sentences plus 40 years for enabling the illegal trade of drugs and other illicit goods.

Donald Trump made another controversial decision. The new American president pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life imprisonment a decade ago. He is responsible, among other things, for creating the "Silk Road" service on the dark web,

President Trump made a surprising announcement, granting a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the infamous dark web marketplace Silk Road. Ulbricht, now 40 years old, was serving two life sentences plus 40 years for crimes tied to his operation of the online platform.