Ross Ulbricht is still the most famous non-violent drug offender behind bars

Ross Ulbricht is arguably the best-known and most high-profile person convicted of a non-violent drug offense in America today. Depending on who you ask, he's either a single criminal drug world mastermind or a peaceful, freedom-loving person who wants to continue to improve society and the quality of life for all. The Feds consider Ulbricht to be the sole persona behind Dread Pirate Roberts (DPR), the operator and alias behind Silk Road, an online marketplace that sells both legal and illegal goods and services using Bitcoin. Ulbricht is said to have operated the site as a ringleader until his arrest in 2013. In 2015, Ulbricht was found guilty of seven charges related to drug trafficking, hacking into computers and running a drug business. He was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 more years. Rather than a ringleader or drug dealer, Ross Ulbricht supporters say he's an idealist, a peaceful believer in the free market. Drugs were never his main focus. Neither have the contract murder charges that still hang over his head even though he has never been on trial. Proponents, including Mother Lyn, point out that those charges never made it to court. Nevertheless, Ulbricht was sentenced in May 2015 to double life imprisonment plus forty years with no chance of parole. Many, including Lyn, were shocked by their son's extreme sentence, noting that life sentences were for the worst of the worst, like serial killers. "They didn't give a first-time violent offender a death penalty in prison for what this is." Ulbricht's supporters say his sentence is extreme compared to other defendants in the operation. All of the other defendants in the Silk Road case received sentences of ten years or less and many are now free. This includes the biggest drug seller on the site (ten years), the person who runs Silk Road 2.0, a major site (no prison sentence), and the computer programmer who is in charge of the site's backend (8 months). Ulbricht is currently housed at USP Tucson, with his mother residing nearby, to give Ross access to family and the outside world. She spoke to High Times to discuss ongoing efforts to clear Ross' name and bring him home. Lyn Ulbricht takes offense at the idea that her son is a drug lord. When he ran the site, she said her son never controlled the actions of anyone on Silk Road like a kingpin would. Drugs were also not his intention when he created the underground marketplace. "It was created as an open, free market, which was his passion," said Lyn Ulbricht, who, along with fellow dependents, runs Free Ross, a website that supports his release through case facts, Ross' writings and dozens of third parties advocates. Lyn highlighted her son's views on personal freedom, which have received widespread support in the Libertarian Party. She explained that Ross was always peaceful and that Silk Road was based on the principle of non-aggression, where violence was prohibited and users were free to exchange items as long as they did not harm a third party. While supporters sympathize with Ross Ulbricht and oppose his condemnation, the Feds stand in stark contrast. They claim, according to supporters with no evidence, that Ulbricht was planning a contract killing, which Ross continues to deny. The proponents also defend themselves against the allegations of contract killing against Ulbricht. They state the charges never made it to court, the charges being based on anonymous chats. Although the allegations have never been brought to justice, they still hover over Ulbricht's head. The most compelling argument for Ulbricht supporters, however, are the words of the alleged victim Curtis Green. He has stated on several occasions that he thinks Ross is innocent and says that he does not consider Ulbricht dangerous. Proponents say the charges were instead used as a smear campaign that further portrayed Ross as an unscrupulous drug lord to justify his sentence.