Rui-Siang Lin, the alleged operator of the dark web narcotics market “Incognito Market,” was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in a U.S. federal prison, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, ending one of the largest prosecutions for the online drug market since Silk Road.
Lin, a 24-year-old Taiwanese national who used the online alias “Pharaoh,” pleaded guilty in December 2024 to narcotics conspiracy, money laundering and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded drugs. Prosecutors said the platform processed more than $105 million in illegal drug sales between October 2020 and March 2024, facilitating more than 640,000 transactions and serving hundreds of thousands of buyers around the world.
“Rui-Siang Lin was one of the most prolific drug traffickers in the world and used the Internet to sell more than $105 million in illegal drugs throughout this country and around the world,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “While Lin made millions, his crimes had devastating consequences. He is responsible for at least one tragic death, exacerbated the opioid crisis, and caused misery for more than 470,000 narcotics users and their families.”
Ultimately, investigators traced the operation not only through blockchain analysis and mystery shopping, but also through operational security flaws.
According to the SDNY’s initial criminal complaint, investigators were able to trace the marketplace’s dominance back to Lin, as he used his real name along with a phone number and address in the registration process.
Taiwanese media say Lin studied at National Taiwan University before completing Taiwan’s civilian “alternative service,” a mandatory national service outside the military, in Saint Lucia, where he worked in a technical support role and sometimes taught local police about cybercrime and cryptocurrency.
