A U.S. federal court sentenced Rui-Siang Lin, founder of Incognito Market, to 30 years in prison.

On Tuesday, February 4th, a federal judge sentenced Rui-Siang Lin, founder of the Dark Web marketplace Incognito Market, to 30 years in prison for operating a cryptocurrency-based Dark Web market that facilitated over $105 million in illicit drug transactions. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, Incognito Market relied on crypto payments and an internal system called "Incognito Bank" to allow buyers and suppliers to anonymously trade digital assets. Prosecutors stated that the platform sold over one ton of illicit drugs globally between its launch in October 2020 and its shutdown in March 2024. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon also ordered Rui-Siang Lin to forfeit $105,045,109 and serve five years of supervised release after serving his sentence. The 24-year-old Rui-Siang Lin, operating under the alias "Pharaoh," pleaded guilty in December 2024 to charges including conspiracy to distribute illicit substances, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell adulterated drugs.