Rui-Siang Lin, a Taiwanese national, was sentenced to 30 years in U.S. federal prison for operating Incognito Market, one of the world’s largest illicit online narcotics marketplaces.
Incognito Market splash page and graphical interface
Incognito Market operated on the dark web from October 2020 until it closed in March 2024. The platform functioned as a centralized marketplace accessible through the Tor browser and supported drug sales to buyers around the world.
Vendors used the site to sell cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and misbranded prescription medication. Buyers completed purchases using cryptocurrency through an internal payment system managed by the platform.
Court records show the marketplace facilitated more than $105 million in drug sales over its lifetime. The operation supported more than 640,000 individual narcotics transactions.
The marketplace remained under the founder’s control throughout its operation. Authorities said the operator supervised vendors and staff, managed site infrastructure, and made decisions related to payments and user activity.
Revenue from the marketplace came from transaction fees and charges paid by vendors for access to the platform. That income funded operational costs, including employee payments and server infrastructure. The operator earned more than $6 million in profit from the marketplace.
Prosecutors also said Incognito Market grew to more than 400,000 buyer accounts during its operation. Those buyers were supported by more than 1,800 vendors, many of whom were identified as high-volume drug traffickers.
The site used branding, advertising, and customer support functions to attract and retain users.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.
