The alleged mastermind behind one of Asia’s largest scam rings has been arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China, according to a statement from Cambodia’s interior ministry.
Chen Zhi, who is accused of running multiple online scam centers via his company Prince Group whereby trafficked workers were forced to carry out crypto investment fraud schemes targeting victims worldwide, was one of three people detained earlier this week following months of cooperation between Cambodian and Chinese authorities.
The interior ministry said in its statement that officers “have arrested three Chinese nationals, namely Chen Zhi, Xu Ji Liang, and Shao Ji Hui, and extradited them to the People’s Republic of China”. The operation was conducted “within the scope of cooperation in combating transnational crime”, it added, citing a request from China.
Chen’s Cambodian citizenship had also been revoked.
The 38-year-old is accused of running multiple scam centers in Cambodia that used workers lured on the promise of jobs that never existed and subsequently held in compounds under threat of violence. Aside from crypto scams, the group is also alleged to have operated an extensive online gambling network.
In October, the US Department of Justice charged Chen with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for directing Prince Group’s operation of forced-labor scam compounds across Cambodia. It also filed a civil forfeiture complaint against 127,271 seized bitcoin worth around US$15 billion.
Aside from the US, Chen and Prince Group – who have denied all allegations – have been sanctioned in the UK, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong.
Born in Fujian in 1987, Chen moved to Cambodia in 2010 and became a Cambodian citizen in 2014.
Another renowned gambling kingpin, She Zhijiang, was extradited to China from Thailand in November as Beijing continues its fight against such activities across Southeast Asia.
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