Note: Keywords are highlighted and clicking them leads to it’s definition
Riu-Siang Lin, a 23 year old Taiwanese citizen, was arrested in New York because of his ownership and connection to the online drug market known as “The Incognito Market.”
The Incognito Market was, as quoted by the Department of Justice, “one of the largest illegal narcotics marketplaces on the internet.”
The Incognito Market was run on the dark web and has been running ever since October 2020. It has sold more than over $100 million worth of narcotics - and not your everyday narcotics as well.
We’re talking hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, meth, and even fentanyl.
What makes it even worse though is that certain ‘listings’ on the market were proposed to be prescription pills, but when received by law enforcement, those ‘prescription’ pills were in-fact just fentanyl pills.
Something tells me that those pills may not have helped your headache…
Anyways, Lin had everyone and their dogs targeting him: The FBI, DEA, NYPD, HSI, and the FDA. He was not too liked by a lot of US Government organizations as you can tell.
Here’s a picture of what the site actually looked like before it got taken down and although the picture is slightly blurry, you can see the multiple heroin listings there are and it’s general layout.
Source: Department of Justice (2024)
What’s interesting to note though is the fact that Lin made millions off of this market from vendor fees. Whenever a sale was made, a 5% fee was collected and went straight into Lin’s pockets. Approximately, out of the $100 million worth of narcotics that was sold, $5 million went straight into his crypto wallet.
What’s even more interesting to note that is that Lin was a Government employee.
Yes, really.
Thanks to @fs0c131y on X (formerly Twitter), they dug up information on Lin and discovered that he worked with the Taiwanese Ministry, his LinkedIn history, and even his Tinder account 😭 He just wanted some love…
If found guilty, Lin will be sentenced to a minimum penalty of life in prison.
He has charges for engaging in a criminal enterprise, narcotics conspiracy, money laundering, and other charges that he’ll most likely be indicted on.
If 5 US Government orgs are on your ass, it’s a good indicator that it may be GG.
Clear-Cut Definitions
Dark Web: A part of the internet that can only be accessed through a special browser known as Tor. All users remain anonymous, and because of it’s anonymity, allows for various sites to be upheld such as Hitmen for Hire, illegal gun and narcotic marketplaces, and pedophilia rings.