Cryptocurrency Dark Web Drug Trading Platform Operator Rui-Siang Lin Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

BlockBeats News, February 4 — According to a statement released by the U.S. Southern District of New York Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Rui-Siang Lin, the alleged operator of the dark web drug trading platform “Incognito Market,” was sentenced to 30 years in U.S. federal prison on Tuesday. This marks the conclusion of one of the largest online drug market cases since the “Silk Road” case.

The U.S. prosecutors stated that the operator of the dark web marketplace Incognito Market used cryptocurrencies and anonymous tools to conceal their identity, but investigators ultimately linked them to the platform through domain records and digital traces.

Rui-Siang Lin, known online as “Pharaoh,” pleaded guilty in December 2024 to multiple charges, including conspiracy to drug trafficking, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell counterfeit and falsely labeled pharmaceuticals. Prosecutors said that the platform facilitated over $105 million in illegal drug transactions from October 2020 to March 2024, completing more than 640,000 transactions and serving hundreds of thousands of buyers worldwide.