The government's raid on the alleged black market website known as Silk Road has resulted in many arrests. One such person was recently sentenced to six years imprisonment on drug charges in Maryland after pleading guilty. It is not entirely clear whether or not the man entered a plea agreement with the prosecution or not.
Silk Road was a website where users could purchase goods and services ranging from illegal drugs to hit men. The site used certain types of software in an effort to make buyers as well as sellers anonymous, which included using bitcoins as currency. The 33-year-old was arrested in 2012, and he was one of the first alleged drug dealers from the site to be arrested.
The man was accused of selling heroin as well as the synthetic drug methylone out of Baltimore through the website. Since his arrest, the man reportedly admitted to his actions, and he began taking efforts to improve his life. In court, he was very apologetic, and the federal judge reported that he seemed genuine. It is not clear if the man was offered a plea deal or not, but his sentence was markedly less than it potentially could have been under federal guidelines.
When a person is arrested in Maryland and accused of drug charges, that person is then faced with several options from which to choose in his or her criminal defense. In this man's case, he chose to plead guilty to his charges. It is unclear whether he took a plea agreement, but when a plea deal is offered, that person always has the option to either accept it or reject it and battle their charges in court.
Source: The Baltimore Sun, "Silk Road drug dealer gets six years prison", Ian Duncan, Sept. 5, 2014