It sounds almost unbelievable ! A young man who mastered the capabilities of the Internet and it's commercial applications managed to create what the FBI describes as " the most extensive criminal markeplace on the Internet ".
It is alleged that twenty-nine year old Ross William Ulbricht setup " Silk Road " in January 2011 - and that since then it has openly supplied the entire spectrum of illicit drugs - openly and in full view of the world's law enforcement agencies.
All buyers needed to do was peruse the offerings and prices posted on a " black " Internet site - and make their selection. In a matter of days, the delivery took place through the mail system - and this enterprise had a turnover in excess of a billion dollars.
The usual problem with illicit trade revolves around paying for the goods. Payment methods leave " money trails " but there is a fast evolving form of commerce termed " bitcoins " - which few people really understand. It is a new form of " Cyber money " that is traded between individuals and because it has no need for banks or financial clearing houses - it remains " invisible " to law enforcement.
What the Silk Road story really illustrates is that an entrepeneur with an enquiring mind and a good grasp of the power of the computer and it's Internet application can grasp opportunities that are only limited by the power of the human mind to think !
Ulbricht is under arrest and has been charged with narcotics trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering. It is one thing for the FBI to lay charges - and quite another to gain a conviction.
No doubt this case will play out in the courts of the USA in coming months - and perhaps years. What is has opened up is a new and safe way to deal drugs - and you can be certain that others are carefully studying the Silk Road script - with the intention of copying and improving on that method.
It all boils down to the first rule of commerce. " Wherever there is a need, someone will devise a supply " !
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