DOOKV Dark web market owner arrested in New York after FBI traces crypto

A 23-year-old man has been arrested in New York and charged with owning, running and profiting from a $100 million dark web narcotics marketplace after authorities claimed to have tracked crypto transfers that uncovered his real identity.

Rui-Siang Lin, known online as “Pharoah,” was  at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on May 18 and appeared in federal court on Monday, May 20, the Manhattan United States Attorney’s Office wrote in a statement.

“For nearly four years, Rui-Siang Lin allegedly operated ‘Incognito Market,’ one of the largest online platforms for narcotics sales, conducting $100 million in illicit narcotics transactions and reaping millions of dollars in personal profits,” added FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith.

Incognito Market was an onion-based e-commerce platform accessed using the Tor web browser — referred to as the “dark web” or “dark net.”