Taiwanese 'Pharaoh' Arrested: Mastermind Behind $100M Darknet Drug Market
US authorities apprehended Rui-Siang Lin, a 23-year-old Taiwanese national, at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. Lin, who operated the high-security social security market Incognito under the alias 'Pharaoh', faces severe charges related to drug trafficking and cybercrime. Since late 2020, Incognito has facilitated the sale of drugs worth approximately $100 million.
Lin led a double life, working as an IT specialist at the Embassy of St. Lucia in Taipei while training police officers on 'Cyber Crime and Cryptocurrency'. Ironically, he used his expertise to evade detection while operating Incognito. The platform required users to complete an OPSEC quiz and demonstrate proficiency with the encryption protocol PGP, ensuring high security standards. However, in March 2023, Lin shut down Incognito and attempted to blackmail users by threatening to leak their messages and transactions if they did not pay a $20,000 fee.
The FBI gained access to an Incognito server in January 2023 and tracked Lin's Bitcoin transactions to a linkedin exchange. Here, they found an account under his real name with a balance of about $5 million. Lin had deposited these funds from operating the darknet marketplace into 'Lexsi Holding', a company where he held a subscription.
Lin's arrest follows the discovery of his involvement in facilitating the sale of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine worth approximately $100 million since the end of 2020. He faces potential life sentences for various drug and cybercrime-related offenses. Lin's double life and the sophisticated security measures employed by Incognito highlight the complex nature of darknet market operations and the global effort required to dismantle them.
