The Silk Road was an online marketplace where anonymous buyers could hook up with anonymous sellers of illegal drugs. The government shut the website down in 2013. Today, the man being accused of running the Silk Road -- Ross Ulbricht, a.k.a. Dread Pirate Roberts -- goes on trial in Manhattan. He faces federal charges of running a narcotics, hacking, and money laundering conspiracy, as well as a “kingpin” charge that’s usually used on mafia dons and drug lords. We look at the case against him, and its wider implications.
KCRW
