China returns Chen Zhi, suspected ringleader of major cross-border telecom fraud back to country: authority

China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS), with the support and cooperation of the relevant Cambodian authorities, dispatched a task force that had successfully escorted Chen Zhi, a Chinese national and suspected ringleader of a major cross-border gambling and telecom fraud criminal syndicate, from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, back to China on Wednesday, the ministry said on Thursday.

This marks another major achievement in China-Cambodia law enforcement cooperation, the ministry said.

Investigations have found that the criminal gang is suspected of multiple offenses, including operating casinos, fraud, illegal business operations and concealing or disguising proceeds of crime. Chen has been placed under compulsory criminal measures in accordance with the law, and related cases are currently under further investigation, according to the MPS.

An MPS official stated that public security authorities will soon issue public wanted notices for the first group of key members of the criminal gang, and will track down on and arrest fugitives at large. Public security authorities warn criminals to recognize the situation and immediately surrender themselves to seek leniency.

Combating online gambling, telecom fraud and related crimes is a shared responsibility of the international community. In recent years, China has actively cooperated with Cambodia and other countries, achieving notable results in combating cross-border telecom and cyber fraud crimes, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday.

Prince Bank, founded by Chen, who has been indicted by the US over a multibillion-dollar fraud and extradited to China, was ordered liquidated on Thursday, the Channel News Asia (CNA) reported, citing Cambodia's central bank.

Chen was sanctioned by Washington and London in October for directing alleged cyber fraud run by hundreds of scammers trafficked into compounds in Cambodia, the CNA said.

As part of the sanctions, the US Treasury designated Prince Group - a massive Cambodia-based corporation with interests spanning real estate, financial and consumer services - as a transnational criminal empire, the Straits Times reported on Thursday.

Several assets owned by the group were seized globally, including nearly 130,000 bitcoins worth around $15 billion, and some 19 properties in London, including one worth nearly 100 million pounds, the media report said.

Since the indictment was announced, several other jurisdictions including Singapore, Thailand, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the island of Taiwan announced seizures or freezes of hundreds of millions of dollars in assets linked to Chen, CNN said.

Cambodia has recently come under more pressure to act against the scam networks operating within its borders, CNN said. In its statement, the Cambodian interior ministry said Chen's arrest was "within the scope of cooperation in combating transnational crime," per CNN.

In accordance with the requirements of the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law and other laws, public security organs in China in 2025 cracked down on telecom and online fraud crimes, with a total of 258,000 related cases solved, effectively curbing the high incidence of such crimes and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the people, MPS spokesperson Zhang Ming revealed at a press conference on Thursday.

According to a statement the ministry provided to the Global Times on Thursday, further intensifying crackdown efforts, specialized operations such as "cutting off flows," "removing nails" and "breaking chains" were deployed, resulting in the cumulative arrest of 542 behind-the-scenes "financiers," ringleaders, and key members of fraud groups, resolutely crushing the arrogance of criminals.

Recently, public security organs have publicly issued wanted notices for 100 fugitive "financiers" and key members involved in telecom and online fraud crimes, demonstrating the determination and stance of public security organs to strictly combat such crimes in accordance with the law, Zhang added.

In terms of deepening international cooperation, the ministry spokesperson disclosed that progress has been accelerated in building an international alliance to combat telecom and online fraud, promoting the establishment of a new global pattern for combating and governing such crimes characterized by mutual coordination and broad participation.

Relying on bilateral and multilateral channels, working groups have been dispatched multiple times to countries such as Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia to carry out police and law enforcement cooperation, destroying a large number of overseas fraud dens.

In response to the situation of telecom and online fraud crimes targeting China in the Myawaddy region of Myanmar, a trilateral coordination mechanism has been established with Myanmar and Thailand. To date, more than 7,600 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in telecom fraud in the Myawaddy region have been escorted back to China, Zhang added.