Silk Road: The Untold Story

The story of Silk Road, how it grew into a $1.2 billion operation, and how federal law enforcement shut it down.
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Tomer Hanuka

In October 2013, a young entrepreneur named Ross Ulbricht was arrested at the Glen Park branch of the San Francisco Public library. It was the culmination of a two-year investigation into a vast online drug market called Silk Road. The authorities charged that Ulbricht, an idealistic 29-year-old Eagle Scout from Austin, Texas, was the kingpin of the operation. They said he'd reaped millions from the site, all transacted anonymously with Bitcoin. They said he'd devolved into a cold-blooded criminal, hiring hit men to take out those who crossed him.

The story of how Ulbricht founded Silk Road, how it grew into a $1.2 billion operation, and how federal law enforcement shut it down is complicated, dark, and utterly fascinating. This two-part series tells that story.

silkroad01_fThe Untold Story of Silk Road, Part 1: The Rise

silkroadII_fThe Untold Story of Silk Road, Part 2: The Fall