Rui-Siang Lin, the alleged operator of the dark‑web marketplace Incognito Market, was sentenced to 30 years in U.S. federal prison Tuesday, capping one of the largest online drug‑market prosecutions since Silk Road, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said. Known online as “Pharaoh,” the 24‑year‑old Taiwanese national pleaded guilty in December 2024 to narcotics conspiracy, money‑laundering and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication. Prosecutors say Incognito Market processed more than $105 million in illicit drug sales between October 2020 and March 2024, handling over 640,000 transactions and serving hundreds of thousands of buyers worldwide. “Rui‑Siang Lin was one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said, noting the operation’s vast scale and harm. Clayton added that Lin’s enterprise was tied to at least one death and “exacerbated the opioid crisis,” affecting an estimated 470,000 narcotics users and their families. The takedown highlights how traditional investigation techniques and crypto forensics are converging. Authorities say they unraveled the market through a combination of blockchain analysis, undercover purchases and operational security slipups. According to the SDNY complaint, agents traced the marketplace domain to Lin after he reportedly registered it using his real name, phone number and address. Background reporting from Taiwan identifies Lin as a National Taiwan University alumnus who completed the country’s civilian alternative service in St. Lucia. During that period he worked in a technical assistance role and reportedly taught local police about cybercrime and cryptocurrency — an ironic footnote in a case that underscores both the reach of darknet markets and the limits of anonymity. The sentencing underscores growing law‑enforcement success in targeting darknet marketplaces and the continued scrutiny of crypto tools used to move illicit proceeds. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news