Infamous Dark Web Marketplace Silk Road Admin ‘Libertas’ Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Court

• A former admin of the Silk Road marketplace admitting to enabling drug trades on the platform.
• Ireland resident Gary Davis pleaded guilty to his charges and is yet to face charges.
• Silk Road was closed in 2013 after being seized by the FBI.

One of the former administrators from the Silk Road online drug trade marketplace has pleaded guilty to all impending charges. He admitted to facilitating the trade of illegal goods and drugs online on the platform. Gary Davis, who operated under the name “Libertas” is a citizen from Wicklow, Ireland and he conspired to distribute large quantities of narcotics on Silk Road.

Silk Road was extremely popular on the Dark Web, and it managed to attract a lot of controversy during its operations between 2011 and 2013. The website was accessible only through the TOR Onion network that allowed all kinds of illegal activity to take place.

Image Courtesy of Collins

Silk Road was shut down in 2013, and the domain was seized by the FBI. Operator Ross Ulbricht who went by the name of “Dread Pirate Roberts” was arrested and was handed two double-life sentences along with another 40 years. Ulbricht is currently attempting to gather support claiming that he has been wronged by the criminal justice system. He intends to take the matter directly to US President Donald Trump.

Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in court "Silk Road was a secret online marketplace for illegal drugs, hacking services, and a whole host of other criminal activity. As he admitted today, Gary Davis served as an administrator who helped run the Silk Road marketplace. Davis's arrest, extradition from Ireland, and conviction should send a clear message: the purported anonymity of the dark web is not a protective shield from prosecution."

While Davis will not be facing charges as extreme as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” the punishment is expected to be severe. The admin will be receiving his sentence on January 2019. With the defendant enabling Silk Road to conduct trades worth hundreds of millions of dollars that involve hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs, it is one of the most high-profile criminal cases ever.

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