Alleged Owner Of Darknet 'Incognito Market' Arrested In New York, Faces Life In Prison For Running Multimillion-Dollar Narcotics Operation

What Happened: Lin, a 23-year-old Taiwanese national, was arrested at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Saturday, according to the Department of Justice.

He is accused of operating Incognito Market under the alias “Pharoah” from October 2020 to its closure in March, overseeing all aspects of the operation.

Lin faces charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, narcotics conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication.

The first charge, also known as the “kingpin statute,” carries a mandatory life sentence. The narcotics conspiracy charge has a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum potential sentence of life in prison. The other two charges carry a combined maximum of 25 years in prison, according to CoinDesk.