Darknet drug dealer Rui-Siang Lin, also known as ‘Pharaoh’, has been arrested in New York for allegedly facilitating over $100 million in cryptocurrency sales of illegal narcotics. Lin, a Taiwanese national, operated the online marketplace “Incognito Market” under the pseudonym ‘Pharaoh’ for almost four years. He was apprehended at John F. Kennedy Airport on Saturday. The US attorney’s office stated that Lin sold illegal drugs, including deadly fentanyl, to customers worldwide. The arrest was made possible through the collaborative efforts of US authorities, the FBI, and the El Dorado Task Force’s Darkweb and Cryptocurrency Task Force, utilizing advanced techniques to target sophisticated criminals.
Lin is facing multiple charges, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, narcotics conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication. The charges carry severe penalties, with the engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise charge carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. US Attorney Damian Williams emphasized that Lin’s alleged operation was a dangerous online narcotics marketplace that profited at the expense of the community. He also highlighted the commitment of law enforcement to pursue criminal actors, whether they operate on the streets or the dark corners of the internet.
The Incognito Market, operated by ‘Pharaoh’, was described by the FBI as one of the largest online platforms for narcotics sales. Over the course of four years, the marketplace facilitated $100 million in illegal drug transactions and generated substantial profits. Each listing on the Incognito Market was sold by a vendor who paid a 5% fee to ‘Pharaoh’ from every transaction. This fee funded the marketplace’s operations, including employee salaries and server expenses. Incognito Market had its own bank, enabling users to deposit cryptocurrencies into their “bank accounts” on the site. After a drug transaction was completed, the buyer’s crypto funds were transferred to the seller’s account, with Incognito retaining the 5% fee.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge, James Smith, emphasized that Lin’s alleged operation offered the purchase of dangerous drugs and fraudulent prescription medication on a global scale. He affirmed the FBI’s commitment to dismantling criminal enterprises, especially those distributing illegal substances on the dark web.
