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U.S. prosecutors accidental the Taiwanese relation of the $105 Million Incognito Market utilized cryptocurrency and anonymity tools earlier investigators tied him to the level done domain records and integer traces.
Feb 4, 2026, 5:22 a.m.
Rui-Siang Lin, the alleged relation of the dark web narcotics marketplace “Incognito Market,” was sentenced to 30 years successful U.S. national situation connected Tuesday, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, bringing to a adjacent 1 of the largest online cause marketplace prosecutions since Silk Road.
Lin, a 24-year-old Taiwanese nationalist who utilized the online alias “Pharaoh,” pleaded blameworthy successful December 2024 to narcotics conspiracy, wealth laundering and conspiring to merchantability adulterated and misbranded medication. Prosecutors said the level processed much than $105 cardinal successful amerciable cause income betwixt October 2020 and March 2024, facilitating much than 640,000 transactions and serving hundreds of thousands of buyers worldwide
“Rui-Siang Lin was 1 of the world’s astir prolific cause traffickers, utilizing the net to merchantability much than $105 cardinal of amerciable drugs passim this state and crossed the globe,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton successful a statement. “While Lin made millions, his offenses had devastating consequences. He is liable for astatine slightest 1 tragic death, and helium exacerbated the opioid situation and caused misery for much than 470,000 narcotics users and their families."
Investigators yet traced the cognition not lone done blockchain investigation and undercover purchases but besides done operational information failures.
According to the initial SDNY transgression complaint, investigators were capable to hint the domain for the marketplace to Lin arsenic helium utilized his existent sanction on with a telephone fig and code successful the registration process.
Taiwanese media say Lin studied astatine National Taiwan University earlier completing Taiwan’s civilian “alternative service,” a mandatory nationalist work way extracurricular the military, successful St. Lucia, wherever helium worked successful a method assistance relation and astatine times taught section constabulary astir cybercrime and cryptocurrency.
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