People who knew a Taiwanese man who was arrested in the US on Sunday on suspicion of creating drug trafficking Web sites said that they were surprised at the news that the “genius” had gotten caught up in the illegal drugs trade.
The US Department of Justice and the FBI said that they arrested Lin Rui-siang (林睿庠), 23, the alleged creator of Incognito Market, an online selling site.
Friends of Lin described him as a “genius” in computer and digital technologies, and lamented his apparent involvement in the illegal drugs trade.
Photo courtesy of the US Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs
Lin was arrested while transiting through John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, with US authorities identifying him as “Pharoah,” the alleged owner and operator of the largest online narcotics e-commerce platform, which lists heroin, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, oxycodone, methamphetamines, ketamine and alprazolam for sale.
Chinese-language media reported that Lin was a talented student, winning medals at the Asia International Mathematical Olympiad while at Taipei Fuhsing Private School before graduating with a degree in information management at National Taiwan University.
A former classmate of Lin’s said on condition of anonymity that Lin is a “genius” in many ways, having taught himself computer and digital technologies.
When he was a high-school student, Lin set up his own Web sites, the classmate told CTS Television.
He has good English-language ability, getting high marks in the Test of English for International Communication, had an internship at a financial firm, was a certified blockchain professional and had cybersecurity certification from Google Inc, the classmate said.
A man who said he was a friend of Lin’s for many years could not believe that Lin had been arrested.
“We all knew him as an outstanding talent in mathematics and English,” he said. “He would help friends whenever they would ask... Lin was a good friend to us, so it was shocking to hear the news of his arrest.
“We had no inkling that he had a tendency to engage in criminal activities,” the friend said.
Lin has an extensive social media presence, having written articles on cryptocurrency investment and use of blockchain.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said that Lin had been sent to Saint Lucia for his substitute military service, where last month he conducted a four-day training course called “Cybercrime and Cybercurrency” for police officers.
The US Department of Justice said that Incognito Market had more than US$100 million in transactions since it started in 2020.
If convicted, Lin would face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, a maximum penalty of life in prison for narcotics conspiracy, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for money laundering and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication, it said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS