An Irishman has been jailed for six-and-a-half years for his role in operating a website on the online black market.
Gary Davis of Johnstown Court, Kilpedder, Co Wicklow last October pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute illegal drugs.
He was initially charged over his his role in operating the site Silk Road.
The site, operated between 2011 and 2013, distributed over €200million worth of illegal goods and helped launder hundreds of millions of dollars.
Davis appeared at Manhattan Federal Court, New York on Thursday, where Judge Jesse M Furman imposed a sentence of 78 months.
Davis was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay €22,400.
Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey S Berman said: “Gary Davis helped run the Silk Road website – a dark web marketplace for illegal drugs, hacking services, and other criminal activity.
"Davis’s arrest, extradition from Ireland, conviction, and prison sentence should send an unmistakable message: the dark web does not cast shadows long enough to protect criminals from the long arm of the law."
The Wicklow native, who went under the codename Libertas, previously told the court his administrative role included "helping the site run smoothly".
Silk Road's creator Ross Ulbricht convicted of drug trafficking charges and sentenced in 2015 to life in prison.
