Incognito Market's "success" story: $ 100 million and thousands of deals.
In the United States, the alleged organizer of the sensational shadow market, where users could buy and sell drugs anonymously, was arrested.
According to the US Department of Justice, 23-year-old Rui-hsiang Lin from Taiwan was detained on May 18 at the John F. Kennedy Airport. He is accused of owning and operating the Incognito Market platform under the pseudonyms Pharoah or Faro.
According to the Ministry of Justice, from October 2020, when Incognito Market started operating, until its closure in March 2024, illegal drugs and prescription drugs worth more than $ 100 million were sold. Users from all over the world paid with cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Monero.
Assistant Director of the FBI, James Smith, confirmed: "For almost four years, Rui-hsiang Lin allegedly operated one of the largest online drug markets-Incognito Market. During this time, transactions with banned substances worth about $ 100 million were conducted on the illegal site. They brought Lin a multimillion-dollar personal profit. Promising anonymity to customers, Lin used his website to sell deadly drugs and counterfeit medicines on a global scale."
The investigation believes that Lin had full administrative powers over all aspects of Incognito's activities. It is also reported that he controlled more than 1,000 sellers and over 200,000 customers.
Mark Rubins, an FBI task force officer, said in a statement: "As the primary administrator of Incognito Market, Lin profited most from its illegal activities. He also set the rules of the resource and personally decided which sellers can sell prohibited substances through this service."
Lin is charged with several counts of organizing ongoing criminal activity, conspiracy to distribute drugs, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell counterfeit medicines and drugs with improper labeling.
In the United States, the alleged organizer of the sensational shadow market, where users could buy and sell drugs anonymously, was arrested.
According to the US Department of Justice, 23-year-old Rui-hsiang Lin from Taiwan was detained on May 18 at the John F. Kennedy Airport. He is accused of owning and operating the Incognito Market platform under the pseudonyms Pharoah or Faro.
According to the Ministry of Justice, from October 2020, when Incognito Market started operating, until its closure in March 2024, illegal drugs and prescription drugs worth more than $ 100 million were sold. Users from all over the world paid with cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Monero.
Assistant Director of the FBI, James Smith, confirmed: "For almost four years, Rui-hsiang Lin allegedly operated one of the largest online drug markets-Incognito Market. During this time, transactions with banned substances worth about $ 100 million were conducted on the illegal site. They brought Lin a multimillion-dollar personal profit. Promising anonymity to customers, Lin used his website to sell deadly drugs and counterfeit medicines on a global scale."
The investigation believes that Lin had full administrative powers over all aspects of Incognito's activities. It is also reported that he controlled more than 1,000 sellers and over 200,000 customers.
Mark Rubins, an FBI task force officer, said in a statement: "As the primary administrator of Incognito Market, Lin profited most from its illegal activities. He also set the rules of the resource and personally decided which sellers can sell prohibited substances through this service."
Lin is charged with several counts of organizing ongoing criminal activity, conspiracy to distribute drugs, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell counterfeit medicines and drugs with improper labeling.
