The co-administrator of the Silk Road 2, a darknet drug market site, was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison.
The sentencing came many months after Brian Farrell, identified online as “DoctorClu,” pleaded guilty to one count of supply of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. These crimes carry a minimum of five years in prison.
Government agents raided Farrell’s residence on January 2, 2015 as soon as they got details that he was directly connected to SR2. There, they “seized three handguns, various computer media, various prescription medications, drug paraphernalia, 20 silver bullion bars valued at $3,900.00, and approximately $35,000 in US currency.” on top of the prison sentence, the cash and silver bars will be given up to the u.s. government.
The Department of Justice said that SR2 had generated roughly $8 million per month since it began in November 2013 stated the DOJ. Within the sentencing memorandum, prosecutors noted this particular case exemplifies “general deterrence.”
As Thomas Woods, an Assistant U.S. Lawyer, stated:
The Silk Road model presents a new threat to public safety and health. The website expands the serious drug market to all reaches of the country, and indeed the world. The website reaches those who are too apprehensive to conduct a deal on the street, or those, say in rural areas, who may not have a direct drug supplier. This new frontier is dangerous—and a clear message needs to be sent that those who peddle their poison on the internet—face serious penalties.
