Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of “Silk Road”.

Ulbricht was convicted of charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking.

During his trial, prosecutors said Ulbricht’s website, hosted on the secret “dark web”, anonymously sold more than $200 million (£131 million) worth of drugs.

He directed Silk Road under the moniker Dread Pirate Roberts, a reference to the character in the 1987 film The Princess Bride.

Prosecutors said he also solicited six murders-for-hire, including one against a former Silk Road employee, although they said there was no evidence any murders were actually carried out.

The Silk Road got its name from the historical trade routes that covered parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.

The site gained notoriety through media reports and online chatter. But users could only access the site through Tor – a system that allows people to use the internet without revealing who they are or what country they are in.

FBI court documents said the site had fewer than a million registered users, but investigators said they did not know how many were active.

The Ulbricht verdict – with two college degrees – District Judge Katherine Forrest said he was “no better a person than any other drug dealer”.

He said the site was his “carefully planned life’s work.”

The judge noted that this long sentence also serves as a message to copycats that there will be “very serious consequences”.

“I wanted to give people choices in their lives, privacy and anonymity,” Ulbricht said at his sentencing in May 2015.

Trump previously hinted at plans to commute Ulbricht’s sentence during a speech at the Libertarian National Convention last year.

The libertarian party defended Ulbricht’s release, saying his case was an example of government overreach.

Republican congressman Thomas Massey, an ally of Trump, welcomed the president’s decision.

“Thank you for keeping your promise to me and others who stood up for Ross’s freedom,” the Kentucky lawmaker said.