Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the “eBay of drugs” and weapons

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TECH FALLS. This 38-year-old Texan was convicted for creating and running Silk Road, a trading platform for anything illegal to buy.

By Julien Rebucci

Glen Park is a small neighborhood in southern San Francisco, California, where the vibe is more like a small town than a megalopolis, with local businesses, small restaurants and a public library. This is where Ross Ulbricht, 29, has been living for a year. 1^er October 2013, in the early afternoon, he goes to the library and sits down at one of the tables, in front of his laptop. Beside him, a man and a woman with a homeless look settle down.

At 3:14 p.m., Ulbricht writes an e-mail to a certain “Cirrus”. At the same time, his two neighbors start arguing. Except that they are in fact police officers in the midst of a diversionary maneuver. The man tries to punch the woman in the face. The hubbub disturbs Ulbricht who suddenly turns around…

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