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6 People Died From Drugs Bought on Silk Road, Government Says

Two parents of individuals who allegedly overdosed from drugs purchased on the site plan to speak at Ross Ulbricht’s sentencing.
Ulbricht. Image: ​FreeRoss.org

​Ross Ulbricht, the 31-year-old convicted of creating and running now-defunct online drug market Silk Road, is requesting that his May 15 sentencing be delayed in light of new accusations from the government that six people died from overdosing on drugs purchased from his site.

Joshua Dratel, Ulbricht's defense lawyer, asked to postpone the hearing in a court filing on Friday, saying the government has not provided sufficient information regarding the new allegations.

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Ulbricht was found guilty in February of all seven counts stemming from the underground website, including money laundering, drug trafficking, computer hacking, and more. He now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Another filing showed the government plans to have the parents of two of the six individuals who allegedly overdosed on Silk Road drugs speak at Ulbricht's sentencing.

Because this is the first major dark web prosecution, the government is likely trying to send a message by seeking the harshest sentence possible. One of the main rules of Silk Road was "don't do anything to hurt or scam someone else," but since the trial began, the government has sought to lay out as much evidence as possible to the contrary.

The prosecution called on several witnesses in the trial to back up the idea that Silk Road caused harm, including a heroin addict who said the site enabled his addiction and lured him into dealing, and another witness who explained the variety of hacking tools for sale on the site. The government also alluded to several murders for hire that Ulbricht allegedly ordered while running the site, although he did not face those charges in this particular trial.

Many of Ulbricht's supporters believe Silk Road actually reduced harm caused by the drug war

Dratel said the materials the government provided to the defense regarding the new overdose allegations are "woefully incomplete." He requested additional materials, including evidence that the drugs that led to these overdoses were purchased on Silk Road; medical records relating to pre-existing conditions of the individuals who allegedly overdosed; and toxicology reports for two of the individuals.

"Given the number of transactions that occurred through the Silk Road web site, this is not a case in which the identities of such persons, or the relevance and/or subject matter of their presentation, can be ascertained without further and detailed information," Dratel wrote in the filing.

The defense also said that the introduction of these overdoses brings up a related matter: the extent to which Silk Road, which they say incorporated "harm reduction strategies," actually reduced dangers of drug abuse.

Many of Ulbricht's supporters believe Silk Road actually reduced the negative impact of the drug war by taking drug deals off the streets, connecting suppliers directly to customers, and reducing violence of cartels and other gangs. Dratel has a chance to prove this idea at the sentencing, and said he has been in contact with several experts surrounding that theory.

Dratel requested the sentencing be adjourned for at least a month, suggesting the week of June 15 or June 22. The government is required to respond to this request no later than Tuesday, April 28. Ulbricht has already said he plans to appeal his conviction, and his defense fund, led by his mother Lyn Ulbricht, has been solic​iting donations online for the appeal.