Incognito Market Founder Rui-Siang Lin Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

• The United States has sentenced a Taiwan-based crypto darknet drug kingpin to 30 years.
• In addition to the prison term, Lin was sentenced to five years of supervised release and forfeiture of $105 million.
• The Incognito Market operator made a profit of over $6M and later stole at least $1M from users.

The United States has sentenced the Incognito Market owner to 30 years’ imprisonment. Rui-Siang Lin, a Taiwanese programmer popularly called ‘Pharaoh’, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to running a darknet marketplace, which he closed down in 2024.

“Rui-Siang Lin was one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers, using the internet to sell more than $105 million of illegal drugs throughout this country and across the globe,” Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated.

Crypto Drug Lord Goes Down and Ordered to Forfeit $105M

After the dramatic unconditional pardon of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, the United States has now sentenced another owner of a darknet marketplace. Lin was sentenced to more than 30 years for running the Incognito Market between October 2020 and March 2024.

According to the announcement, Lin created the darknet marketplace that facilitated the sales of more than $105 million of narcotics. As such, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon sentenced Lin to 30 years in addition to five years of supervised release and a forfeiture of $105,045,109 million.

The young Taiwanese is believed to have made a profit of more than $6 million from this darknet marketplace. Moreover, more than 1,800 Incognito Market vendors paid a 5% fee on every sale. 

Additionally, Lin closed the darknet marketplace after stealing at least $1 million belonging to the platform’s users. The DOJ also noted that Lin extorted the vendors by demanding a fee through threatening to post their crypto addresses online.

Over the past years, the crypto industry has been mixed with illicit activities, thus attracting the attention of major jurisdictions led by the United States. The imprisonment of Lin for over 30 years reiterates the commitment made by President Donald Trump to counter organized global drug traffickers. 

Related: Chinese-Language Money Laundering Networks Processed $16.1B in Illicit Crypto in 2025