American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road

Carl Force, a mid-forties Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, endured a stagnant desk routine in Baltimore after a career slide that included substance abuse, a DUI, and a mental breakdown. He once loved raids and undercover work, but years of strain had left him jaded.

His supervisor, Nick, summoned him and offered a slot assisting a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) team targeting the Silk Road. Carl, who previously heard about it from a postal investigator, learned HSI needed a DEA partner and accepted the assignment.

In Sydney, Ross Ulbricht dreamt of a centipede and a snake, a dream that lingered long into the next day. The pressure of working on the Silk Road in secret was beginning to wane on him, as he was still worried about the fact that Julia, Richard, and Erica knew he created the Silk Road. He worked as an administrator and tried to manage his stress while surfing and socializing.

Two days after Ross’s dream, a vendor and security expert who called himself Variety Jones (VJ) began messaging Ross on TorChat, a private messaging platform. VJ admitted he once found a backdoor into the site, warned Ross about US Drug Kingpin laws and potential life sentences, and praised Ross’s strengths.