Dark Web Kingpin ‘Pharoah’ Sentenced to 30 Years for Operating Incognito Market

In a landmark case that underscores the global reach of cybercrime, Rui-Siang Lin, a 24-year-old Taiwanese national, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison by a New York court. Lin, who previously served in Taiwan’s diplomatic alternative service, was found guilty of orchestrating the notorious dark web drug market, “Incognito Market.” This prosecution represents the largest online drug trafficking case in the United States since the infamous “Silk Road” black market.

Lin had previously pleaded guilty in December 2024 to a range of serious offenses, including conspiracy to distribute narcotics, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell counterfeit drugs. Beyond his lengthy prison term, the judge mandated five years of supervised release upon his liberation and ordered the forfeiture of over $100 million in illicit assets, highlighting the immense scale of his criminal enterprise.

The Rise of ‘Pharoah’ and a Multi-Million Dollar Empire

According to US prosecutors, Lin began his illicit venture while still a student at National Taiwan University, adopting the ominous alias “Pharoah.” From October 2020 to March 2024, Incognito Market became a bustling hub for illegal drug trade, facilitating a staggering 640,000 transactions valued at over $105 million. Lin profited handsomely from this dark empire, extracting a 5% commission from each transaction, accumulating millions of dollars in illegal gains.

Jay Clayton, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, issued a scathing statement on Lin’s actions: “Rui-Siang Lin was one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers. He leveraged the internet to peddle over $105 million worth of illegal narcotics across the United States and globally, reaping millions in profit. However, his crimes left a trail of devastating consequences. He was responsible for at least one death, exacerbated the opioid crisis, and inflicted immeasurable pain upon more than 470,000 drug abusers and their families.”

A Double Life: Diplomat by Day, Darknet Kingpin by Night

The layers of Lin’s deception are particularly striking. Utilizing his expertise in information technology, he joined the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) for his alternative diplomatic service. He was stationed in St. Lucia, a Caribbean ally, and was scheduled for discharge in July 2024. Yet, his career took an abrupt turn when he was apprehended in New York in May of the same year while on leave, en route back to Asia.

The irony deepens: during his tenure as a technical assistant in St. Lucia, Lin, acting as an expert, educated local police forces on combating cybercrime and analyzing cryptocurrency flows. While he ostensibly taught law enforcement how to “catch ghosts” in the digital realm, he himself was the “Pharoah,” a hidden commander of a vast drug empire lurking in the dark web’s depths—a chilling testament to a meticulously crafted double life.

The Unraveling: A Simple Mistake in a Complex Web

Investigators revealed that while they meticulously tracked financial trails through sophisticated blockchain analysis, the decisive evidence that ultimately unmasked Lin came from a surprisingly simple error. When registering the domain for Incognito Market, he directly used his real name, phone number, and address, providing the crucial link that led to his downfall.