Unknown Entity Transfers 300 BTC to Ross Ulbricht, Raising Doubts About the Origin of Funds According to Blockchain Detective
In a surprising turn of events, Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the infamous Silk Road dark web marketplace, received a transfer of 300 Bitcoin shortly after his pardon by President Donald Trump. However, the source of these funds remains a mystery, with independent blockchain analysis showing no direct link to Ulbricht's original Silk Road funds.
Blockchain expert ZachXBT confirmed that the 300 BTC did not come from Silk Road wallets and highlighted suspicious movement patterns of these funds, raising questions about the donor's true source.
Investigations into this transfer revealed some key points. The wallets that sent Bitcoin to Ulbricht were active during his imprisonment in 2014 and 2019, suggesting they were not controlled by him or directly linked to Silk Road.
There is mention of a potential mixing or coin-mixing service (such as Hambler, a known but less transparent Bitcoin mixer) being involved in the movement of these funds. This makes the transaction trail complicated and raises doubts about the legitimacy or provenance of the bitcoins transferred to Ulbricht, implying they may come from questionable sources or successors to dark web marketplaces like Alphabay.
Chainalysis reported tracing a $31 million Bitcoin donation connected to Ross Ulbricht back to Alphabay, a successor darknet market to Silk Road, rather than the original Silk Road itself, which was shut down in 2013 by the FBI.
ZachXBT also noted that "very few entities use Jambler at scale." The pardon fulfilled a campaign promise made by President Trump, sparking reactions across both political and cryptocurrency communities.
In summary, the 300 BTC sent to Ross Ulbricht after his pardon does not trace back directly to Silk Road holdings but likely originates from funds associated with dark web successor markets, potentially routed through coin-mixing services like Hambler, complicating source verification and fueling investigation into "questionable sources."
- Despite independent blockchain analysis showing no direct link to Ross Ulbricht's original Silk Road funds, the source of the 300 Bitcoin he received remains a mystery.
- The wallets that sent Bitcoin to Ulbricht were active during his imprisonment in 2014 and 2019, suggesting they were not controlled by him or directly linked to Silk Road.
- Investigations have revealed that a potential mixing or coin-mixing service called Hambler, a known but less transparent Bitcoin mixer, may have been involved in the movement of these funds.
- Chainalysis reported tracing a $31 million Bitcoin donation connected to Ross Ulbricht back to Alphabay, a successor darknet market to Silk Road, further fueling speculation about the questionable sources of the bitcoins transferred to Ulbricht.
