Sentencing in Darknet Drug Trafficking and Marketplace Operations
US federal courts issued prison sentences tied to darknet-enabled drug trafficking. In Los Angeles, Davit Avalyan received a 57-month sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute narcotics as part of a multi-year operation that used numerous darknet vendor accounts/storefronts (e.g., JoyInc, PlanetHollywood, LaFarmacia) to sell cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine nationwide, taking payment in cryptocurrency including Bitcoin and Monero, and shipping parcels via USPS.
Separately, reporting on the Incognito darknet market case describes sentencing filings alleging that an FBI-controlled informant/asset helped administer the marketplace while opioid and fentanyl-tainted products were sold, including claims the informant ignored internal alerts and user complaints about suspected fentanyl-laced pills. A third item—about a Ukrainian national sentenced for facilitating North Korean remote IT worker infiltration using stolen identities and US-based “laptop farms”—is a different national-security/cyber-enabled fraud matter and not part of the darknet drug-market sentencing story.
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How this story unfolded
9 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Sentencing filings dispute FBI informant's role in Incognito
Court filings and arguments made public around Lin's sentencing disputed whether an FBI informant's actions contributed to fentanyl-laced drugs remaining for sale on Incognito. Prosecutors argued the government did not run the market and that any informant role was narrowly used to support the investigation.
Davit Avalyan sentenced to 57 months in prison
A federal court sentenced Davit Avalyan, 36, of Glendale to 57 months in prison for participating in the darknet drug trafficking conspiracy. Prosecutors said he was the last of four defendants sentenced in the case.
Davit Avalyan pleads guilty in federal drug conspiracy case
Avalyan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics for his role in the darknet drug trafficking operation. He entered the plea before sentencing as one of four defendants in the case.
Darknet drug trafficking conspiracy ends
Prosecutors said the long-running darknet narcotics conspiracy involving multiple vendor accounts and storefronts operated until February 2025. Its end marked the close of conduct later charged in federal court.
Darknet drug trafficking conspiracy begins operating
A drug trafficking conspiracy began operating on major darknet marketplaces, selling cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and ketamine across the United States and accepting cryptocurrency payments. Prosecutors said the group shipped drugs through the U.S. Postal Service.
Authorities seize an Incognito server and trace evidence to Lin
Investigators built their case against Incognito using blockchain tracing, seizure of a marketplace server, and an email document that prosecutors say tied Lin to the operation. These steps were cited as key evidence in the government's case.
User complaints and overdose warnings surface on Incognito
Court filings describe Incognito users reporting near-fatal overdoses and warning that products sold through the market were fentanyl-laced. One vendor, RedLightLabs, was cited in filings as being linked to an overdose death while remaining active on the platform.
FBI informant helps moderate Incognito during investigation
During the FBI's investigation of Incognito Market, a confidential informant acted in a limited administrative or moderation role to help identify and dismantle the marketplace. Defense filings later alleged the informant left some fentanyl-laced products and vendors active despite warnings and user complaints.
Incognito Market runs under alleged administrator 'Pharoah'
Incognito Market operated as a dark web marketplace under the alleged control of Rui-Siang Lin, known online as 'Pharoah,' with systems including automated flagging for suspected fentanyl listings. Court filings later alleged Lin knowingly enabled opioid sales on the platform.
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Incognito Market Operator Sentenced to 30 Years for Darknet Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering
A U.S. federal court sentenced **Rui-Siang Lin** (24), a Taiwanese national accused of operating the dark web narcotics marketplace **Incognito Market**, to **30 years in prison** for conspiring to distribute narcotics, **money laundering**, and conspiring to sell **adulterated/misbranded medication**. Prosecutors said Lin ran the marketplace under the alias **“Pharaoh”** and oversaw more than **$105 million** in narcotics sales, including large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine and pills purported to be oxycodone, some allegedly **laced with fentanyl**; the sentence also included **five years of supervised release** and forfeiture of **more than $105 million**. Authorities described Incognito Market as a large-scale, “polished” online drug marketplace that supported cryptocurrency payments (including an internal payment mechanism described as **“Incognito Bank”**) and charged vendors a **5% commission**. Reporting cited platform scale estimates of roughly **1,800 vendors**, **400,000+ customer accounts**, and **~640,000 transactions**, with Lin exercising ultimate control over operations while living abroad (including in **St. Lucia**) and shutting the site down in **March 2024**; Lin was arrested in **May 2024** after arriving at **JFK Airport** en route to Singapore and pleaded guilty in **December 2024**. Investigators also obtained warrants (reported as in **2022** and **2023**) to access servers supporting marketplace operations, including transaction data, DDoS protection, and cryptocurrency processing.
Mar 21, 2026
Kingdom Market administrator sentenced for running darknet drug and cybercrime bazaar
Alan Bill, a 33-year-old Slovak national, was sentenced in the United States to 200 months in federal prison for helping operate **Kingdom Market**, a major darknet marketplace that sold illegal drugs and cybercrime-related goods. Bill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances after admitting he provided web administration, managed cryptocurrency tied to the site, and promoted the marketplace on Reddit, Dread, and other social platforms. Prosecutors said Kingdom Market operated from March 2021 through December 2023 and facilitated thousands of transactions involving narcotics, stolen financial data, fake identity documents, counterfeit currency, and malware. Investigators said undercover purchases on the platform included fentanyl, methamphetamine, and a fake U.S. passport, while seized server records showed trafficking in heroin and purported Oxycodone cut with fentanyl. Bill was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport on December 15, 2023, shortly before German authorities seized the marketplace’s servers and shut it down in a multinational operation involving the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Moldova, and Ukraine. The court rejected Bill’s effort to downplay his role, finding he acted as a leader in the conspiracy, and ordered the forfeiture of multiple cryptocurrency assets and the domains `Kingdommarket[.]live` and `Kingdommarket[.]so`.
May 15, 2026
Law enforcement actions against darknet marketplaces and cybercrime forums
US and international law enforcement continued disrupting illicit online marketplaces and forums used to trade **ransomware services, malware, stolen data, and drugs**. The FBI seized the dark web and clear web domains for **RAMP**, a long-running, predominantly Russian-language cybercrime forum that marketed itself as the “only place ransomware allowed,” and which hosted vetted users, tutorials, and a marketplace for malware and criminal services; the seizure was coordinated with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and DOJ’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Separately, US prosecutors announced guilty pleas tied to major darknet markets that also sold **cybercrime tools and stolen information** alongside narcotics. A Virginia man, **Raheim Hamilton** (aka `Sydney`/`ZeroAngel`), co-creator of **Empire Market**, pleaded guilty to federal drug conspiracy charges related to facilitating roughly **$430M** in transactions (2018–2020) and designing the market to evade law enforcement using cryptocurrency. A Slovakian national, **Alan Bill** (aka `Vend0r`/`KingdomOfficial`), pleaded guilty for helping operate **Kingdom Market** (2021–2023), which authorities previously seized in December 2023; investigators linked him to the operation after his arrest with devices and a crypto hardware wallet allegedly containing evidence tying him to the marketplace.
Mar 21, 2026