Variety Jones (or Cimon) and Smedley Charger (or Smed) are pseudonyms of individuals reported to have been closely involved with the founding of the darknet market Silk Road.
[citation needed] According to security researcher Runa A. Sandvik, Variety Jones joined Silk Road in 2011 as a marijuana seed vendor, opposed to the war on drugs.
[2] Smedley joined the site as a coder following the Gawker user influx[failed verification][3] as a relatively highly paid employee.
[citation needed] Research into these individuals' identities has been conducted via tracking blockchain Bitcoin transactions, confidential sources, rare Thai marijuana seeds and rationalisation of aliases.
While fighting extradition in Thailand, where he slept on a concrete floor, Clark maintained that he had knowledge of a corrupt FBI agent involved with Silk Road.