New york: A Taiwanese diplomatic service conscript, Lin Rui-siang, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a U.S. court for running an online drug marketplace. Lin, aged 24, operated the "Incognito Market," a multimillion-dollar online platform, while simultaneously training St. Lucian police on cybersecurity and cryptocurrency crime.

According to Focus Taiwan, Lin was one of the founders of Incognito Market in 2020 and assumed leadership in January 2022, shutting it down in March 2024. The platform facilitated over 640,000 narcotics transactions during its operation, leading to significant consequences, as highlighted by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. Lin's activities were linked to at least one death and contributed to the opioid crisis affecting more than 470,000 users and their families.

Lin was apprehended on May 19, 2024, while passing through New York on his way to Singapore from St. Lucia, where he served under Taiwan's technical mission. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan noted that Lin had taken approved leave and had previously passed a review during his service.

U.S. prosecutors revealed that Lin conducted a four-day training for St. Lucian police officers on cybercrime and cryptocurrency, which he boasted about on social media. Besides drug distribution, Lin faced charges of money laundering and conspiring to sell adulterated medication. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in December 2024.

Alongside his prison sentence, Lin received five years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit US$105 million. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through spokesperson Hsiao Kuangwei, distanced itself from Lin's actions, stating that his conduct was unrelated to the technical mission.