Trump pardons founder of dark web drug marketplace Silk Road

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who created the Silk Road drug marketplace.

Ulbricht was serving a life sentence after he was convicted in 2015 on charges that included distributing narcotics on the internet.

During sentencing the judge said Ulbricht's site, that was used by thousands to conduct over $200 million (€194.7 million) worth of illicit sales using Bitcoin, caused at least six drug-related deaths.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he spoke to Ulbricht's mother.

"It was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," he wrote.

"The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me."

Ulbricht was sentenced for life in 2015 after the jury found him guilty of organizing a criminal drug trafficking scheme that provided transactions for over $200 million.

In October 2013, US authorities closed the Silk Road web store that specialized in selling prohibited substances in the Tor anonymous network. Experts estimate that the store listed over 10,000 items, with 70% of those being psychoactive substances banned in all or most countries.

At the same time, Trump has repeatedly called for life sentences in all drug trade-related cases.