Dark Web Operator Sentenced to 30 Years for $105M Drug Marketplace
Rui-Siang Lin, the 24-year-old Taiwanese national behind Incognito Market, received a 30-year federal prison sentence for operating one of the largest dark web drug marketplaces since Silk Road. The platform facilitated over $105 million in illegal drug sales between October 2020 and March 2024, processing 640,000 transactions globally.
Lin, who operated under the alias 'Pharaoh,' was traced through blockchain analysis, undercover purchases, and domain registration records that inadvertently exposed his identity. His operation moved more than 1,000 kilograms each of cocaine and methamphetamines, alongside fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills.
Before the marketplace's shutdown, Lin siphoned $1 million from user accounts and attempted to extort vendors by threatening to leak their data. He personally profited $6 million from the scheme.
