TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Taiwanese man arrested in New York for operating a global illegal narcotics network online did his alternative military service as an aid worker in diplomatic ally Saint Lucia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday (May 21).
Lin Rui-siang (林睿庠), 23, was detained at John F. Kennedy Airport on Saturday (May 18) as he was transiting from Saint Lucia on a flight to Singapore. United States Attorney General Merrick Garland alleged Lin was the architect of “Incognito Market,” a marketplace on the dark web trafficking US$100 million (NT$3.23 billion) worth of illegal drugs into the U.S. and around the world.
The products also included fraudulent prescription medication and mislabeled drugs containing fentanyl, investigators said.
MOFA confirmed Tuesday that Lin had been sent to Saint Lucia last November as part of a development aid team. He was supposed to complete his alternative military service on July 4, per CNA.
Lin applied to be an information technology specialist with the aid team, MOFA said. The ministry said it was closely monitoring the developments of the legal case in the U.S.
Lin was charged with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, narcotics conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication. The first charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.