Rui-Siang Lin, a Taiwanese national accused of running the darknet drug marketplace Incognito Market, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a federal court in Manhattan on February 4. The case centers on allegations that Lin, using the alias “Pharaoh,” built and operated a platform where drug vendors could sell products and complete transactions while he collected fees and handled proceeds through cryptocurrency.
According to material cited in the report, Lin studied information management at National Taiwan University. U.S. Department of Justice documents said he began building the platform in 2020 while still in college. The marketplace reportedly included an escrow system and customer service functions, giving it the structure of a full online marketplace. Over roughly three years, the platform processed more than $105 million in drug sales, including heroin, cocaine, and counterfeit prescription drugs. The report said Lin took a 5% cut from transactions and generated about NT$3 billion in profit.
Blockchain tracing and KYC records tied the case together
The report said Lin tried to obscure the money trail by moving funds through Bitcoin, Monero, and mixing services. Investigators still traced the activity through blockchain analysis. Citing Chainalysis, the article said the FBI combined unusual UTXO patterns with identity records from a centralized exchange and real-world fiat off-ramp points to identify him.
One detail highlighted in the source was that he allegedly used his real name for Binance know-your-customer registration. Once funds touched a regulated exchange or connected with fiat deposits and withdrawals, the level of anonymity dropped sharply. Server hosting records were also referenced as part of the broader evidence trail linking on-chain movement to an individual.
Arrested in transit at JFK in May 2024
The source said Lin was arrested in May 2024 while transiting through John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Prosecutors treated him not as a peripheral technical operator but as the founder with full control over the platform, a point that carried major weight in sentencing.
The report also described the case as part of a wider U.S. crackdown on darknet narcotics networks, with particular sensitivity around fentanyl and opioid-related trafficking. Lin is currently 26 years old, according to the source, and the article said the sentence does not allow parole.