US President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the notorious Silk Road — an online marketplace on the dark web known for anonymous sales of illegal goods, including drugs and forged documents. Ulbricht had been serving a life sentence after several years in prison.

Trump revealed that he personally called Ulbricht’s mother to inform her of the pardon, stating the decision was made in her honor and in support of the libertarian movement that strongly backed Ulbricht.

The president believes that Ulbricht’s sentence was disproportionate to his crimes. He harshly criticized those involved in the trial, labeling them as "scoundrels" connected to legal cases against Trump himself.

During his election campaign, Trump promised to reduce Ulbricht’s punishment, aiming to gain support from libertarians who view Ulbricht as a hero, according to Axios. Notably, on January 20th, Inauguration Day, Elon Musk—soon to lead the new US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—hinted at the pardon by tweeting, “Ross will be freed too.” Prior to this, Trump issued pardons for approximately 1,600 participants in the January 6th Capitol riot.

Launched in 2011, Silk Road quickly grew into an international drug marketplace, facilitating over 1.5 million transactions involving heroin, cocaine, and other illicit substances, reports The New York Times. Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 at the age of 29 and charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and operating a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors claimed at least six buyers died from overdoses linked to the platform. In 2015, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.