Court filings reveal an FBI asset ran a dark web drug marketplace that sold fentanyl-laced drugs, raising questions about law enforcement’s role.
A U.S. federal court hearing has revealed that an FBI informant played a significant role in operating a dark web drug marketplace that sold millions of dollars’ worth of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl-laced pills.
The case centers on the now-shuttered dark web market Incognito, which facilitated over $100 million in narcotics sales before its takedown in 2024. During the sentencing of Incognito administrator Lin Rui-Siang, defense attorneys disclosed that an unnamed FBI confidential human source had helped run the marketplace for nearly two years. The informant held moderator powers, including the ability to remove vendors, despite working at the behest of law enforcement.
Lin, a Taiwanese national, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, one of the longest sentences handed down in the U.S. for dark web drug trafficking for his role in managing the site. His defense argued that the FBI asset was deeply involved in daily operations and decision-making on Incognito, asserting that the informant oversaw “95 percent” of the marketplace’s transactions.
According to court filings cited at the hearing, the informant, although controlled by the FBI, approved or failed to remove certain vendors whose products were flagged as potentially containing lethal fentanyl. One vendor, known as RedLightLabs, allegedly sold the pills that caused the death of 27-year-old Reed Churchill, whose parents spoke at Lin’s sentencing.
Prosecutors countered that Lin remained responsible for all decisions on the platform and that the informant acted under his direction, with the Justice Department defending the investigative strategy as necessary to identify and arrest Lin.
Judge Colleen McMahon expressed skepticism about some aspects of the government’s conduct but ultimately upheld Lin’s sentence, emphasizing that the gravity of his crimes outweighed arguments about the informant’s involvement.
The revelations have sparked debate about law enforcement’s use of informants in undercover operations, especially when those operations involve ongoing criminal activity with public health consequences.
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