Silk Road Founder Receives $31 Million Bitcoin Donation, Suspected Link to Alphabay Dark Web Market

According to a report by Cointelegraph, as reported by Jinse Finance, blockchain analysis company Chainalysis stated that the 300 bitcoins (worth approximately $31 million) received by Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht earlier this month are suspected to have come from a wallet related to the dark web market Alphabay. Analysis shows that the donor used various mixing services to hide transaction traces, and the funds may have originated from early Alphabay vendors. Blockchain detective ZachXBT confirmed that these funds did not come from Silk Road, but their transaction patterns suggest possible involvement of illegal sources. Alphabay, which operated from 2014 to 2017, was a successor to Silk Road and was shut down during "Operation Bayonet." It is noteworthy that Ulbricht received a full pardon from President Trump in January this year, after serving 12 years for operating Silk Road.