Cryptocurrency users are not too happy at this point. Outside of the price developments, it seems there is genuine public outcry involving Ross Ulbricht, This individual, known for operating the Silk Road darknet marketplace, faces a double life sentence in jail. El Chapo, a known criminal and murderer, will receive a less severe sentence. Making sense of these decisions is rather difficult at this time.
El Chapo vs Ross Ulbricht
On paper, comparing both of these cases would not serve any real purpose. El Chapo operated as part of a genuine drug cartel and is responsible for multiple deaths during his tenure. Ross Ulbricht operated the darknet marketplace which made Bitcoin immensely popular. Both stories are very different from one another, yet they are not necessarily unrelated.
According to the US justice system, however, Ulbricht needs to be punished more severely for his actions. More specifically, Ross serves a double life sentence in jail plus an extra 40 years. That is incredibly severe for someone who ran an online website where drugs and other illicit goods and services were bought and sold. He does not have a shot at getting our early via parole either.
In the case of El Chapo, however, the sentencing was rather light in comparison. Although he still faces life in prison, it is a less severe punishment compared to Ulbricht. While it will be very similar in the real world, it only further highlights how Ulbricht’s sentence was not only meted out incorrectly, but also how the justice system has some “flaws” when it comes to distinguishing between criminal activities.
During the drug trial in New York, El Chapo – real name Joaquin Guzman Loera – was found guilty on all charges. It also puts a final nail in the coffin of his illustrious career as a drug kingpin in Mexico. Moreover, his violent acts have made numerous headlines on an international scale. He also escaped prison twice, which should all add up to a far more severe jail sentence.
While the conviction of El Chapo is indeed a big success for law enforcement, it also creates a bitter pill to swallow for Ross Ulbricht and his loved ones. After all, someone who is known for physically trafficking drugs and conducting violence against people receives less of a jail sentence than someone who conducted his darknet operations from a laptop. Those operations did not involve killing anyone at any given time.
Rest assured this development will continue to spark controversy in the cryptocurrency world. Although this may seem like a minor problem to the outside world, it is a problem which should not be ignored. Justice is there to convict criminals according tot heir actions, rather than making examples of individuals for unclear reasons. In the case of Ulbricht, it is evident the actual sentence makes little to no sense. Unfortunately, there will be no appealing the decision, as all attempts have been refuted so far.
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