Silk Road 'moderator' close to extradition

A Queensland public servant accused of helping run online drug bazaar Silk Road has appeared in court.

Peter Phillip Nash, 41, waived his extradition rights in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The hearing paves the way for the former prison employee to be extradited to the US once the Commonwealth attorney-general approves it.

Nash, who worked for a Brisbane prison's forensic disability service, was arrested by federal police in December.

US prosecutors allege he was the primary moderator for discussion forums on the Silk Road website.

The site was used by drug dealers to distribute hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs to more than 100,000 buyers worldwide.

Nash was allegedly employed by Silk Road's San Francisco-based owner Ross William Ulbricht since January 2013.

Prosecutors say he went by the aliases "Batman73" and "Anonymousasshit".

He and two other alleged Silk Road employees have been charged with one count of conspiracy to launder money, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in the US.

The trio is also charged with narcotics and computer hacking offences.

A Queensland Government Gazette published in October 2011 shows Nash had been employed at the Wacol prison's forensic disability service for intellectually disabled inmates.