Lin Rui-Siang (林睿庠; known online as “Pharoah" or “faro”) (born 2000 or 2001)[1][a] is a Taiwanese alleged crypto scammer who the United States Department of Justice claim created and ran the dark web drug market called Incognito for nearly four years until his arrest at JFK Airport on 18th May 2024.[2][3]

Incognito created in October 2020 and was one of the largest illegal narcotics marketplaces on the internet[3] and sold at least $100 million (in cryptocurrencies) worth of illegal drugs, including MDMA, heroin, and cocaine, such of which were mislabeled and included fentanyl.[2][3] According to the United States Department of Justice, Incognito made its profit by taking a 5% comissiofree on all transactions made on the site.[4]

In 2024, Lin allegedly stole the funds of Incognito users' (both customers and sellers) funds in an exit scam, and then in an unprecedented move,[5] exhorted users with the threat of releasing information about their transactions.[2]

Prior to his arrest, he worked with the Saint Lucia police to teach them how to combat cybercrime, which he had chosen do instead of military service.[1] He is also accused on creating Antinalysis, a web service made to help launder cryptocurrencies.[6]

If convicted, Lin faces a minimum mandatory sentence of life in prison[3] due to the kingpin statute, which would classify him as a crime boss.[5] He may also be charged with narotics conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication.[7]

Lin attended the National Taiwan University and graduated with a degree in information management.[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ Lin was 23 at the time of his arrest in 2024

References

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  1. ^ a b ""Incognito Market" founder arrested at JFK airport, accused of selling $100 million of illegal drugs on the dark web - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2024-05-21. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  2. ^ a b c Greenberg, Andy. "He Trained Cops to Fight Crypto Crime—and Allegedly Ran a $100M Dark-Web Drug Market". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  3. ^ a b c d "Office of Public Affairs | "Incognito Market" Owner Arrested for Operating One of the Largest Illegal Narcotics Marketplaces on the Internet | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  4. ^ Franjkovic, Teuta (2024-05-22). "Rui-Siang Ling AKA Pharoah Arrested Over After $100 Million Exit Scam and Blackmail Allegations". CCN.
  5. ^ a b "The dark-web drug kingpin who hid in plain sight". ABC listen. 2024-06-01. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  6. ^ Nelken-Zitser, Joshua. "He taught cops how to fight crypto crime. Now he's accused of running a $100 million dark web drug market". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  7. ^ Affairs, Office of Regulatory (2024-05-21). ""Incognito Market" Owner Arrested for Operating One of the Largest Illegal Narcotics Marketplaces on the Internet". FDA.
  8. ^ "People who knew alleged 'Pharoah' of online drugs site surprised at arrest - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-08-26.