By 
The operator of Incognito Market, once one of the world’s largest dark web drug marketplaces, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for running a global narcotics operation worth more than $105 million.
Rui-Siang Lin, a 24-year-old Taiwanese national also known as Ruisiang Lin, Pharoah, and faro, was arrested in May 2024 and pleaded guilty in December to charges including money laundering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded drugs.
U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon, who handed down the sentence, described the case as the most serious drug prosecution she has encountered in her 27.5 years on the bench, calling Incognito Market “a business that turned Lin into a drug kingpin.”
Court records show that Incognito Market facilitated the sale of more than one metric ton of illegal drugs, including 295 kg of methamphetamine, 364 kg of cocaine, 112 kg of amphetamines, and 92 kg of MDMA, some of which were contaminated with fentanyl.
At its peak, the marketplace hosted more than 1,800 vendors, 400,000 customer accounts, and processed over 640,000 transactions. Lin maintained full control over the platform, overseeing operations and making all key decisions.
Customers purchased narcotics using cryptocurrency through an internal payment system known as “Incognito Bank.” The platform generated more than $83.6 million in revenue, earning Lin over $4.1 million through a 5% commission on each transaction.
Law enforcement agencies obtained search warrants in July 2022 and August 2023 for three servers supporting the operation: one storing transaction data, one providing DDoS protection, and another handling all cryptocurrency payments.
Lin operated Incognito Market from October 2020 until March 2024, when he abruptly shut it down and threatened to expose transaction records of vendors and customers unless they paid additional fees.
“Rui-Siang Lin was one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers, using the internet to sell more than $105 million in illegal drugs across the United States and worldwide,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. He added that while Lin profited by millions, his actions contributed to the opioid crisis, caused widespread harm, and were linked to at least one death.
In addition to the 30-year prison sentence, Lin was ordered to serve five years of supervised release and forfeit $105,045,109.67.
