Thailand Extradites A Suspect In Illegal Gambling Operations To China
BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand on Wednesday extradited a Chinese male desired by Beijing on suspicion of running over 200 prohibited online gaming operations.
A Thai appeals court on Monday approved sending She Zhijiang back to China, more than 3 years after his arrest in Bangkok on a 2014 warrant from Chinese police. He landed in Nanjing, according to the main Xinhua news company.
"Chinese authorities made a request for the suspect, who ´ s their leading priority, and asked Thailand for cooperation, which we have supported," stated cops Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, chief of Thailand ´ s Central Investigation Bureau. He included that China guaranteed it will raise joint efforts with Thailand to punish fraud centers.
She, a Chinese nationwide believed to be 43 years of ages, likewise gotten Cambodian citizenship in 2017, and was active in Southeast Asian countries. He ended up being popular after developing a complex in Myanmar ´ s Shwe Kokko city, near the Thai border, that is now infamous for online scam activities and human trafficking.
China ´ s Ministry of Public Security stated he ´ s desired for running gambling sites that have included 330,000 people since 2017, with deals going beyond 2.7 billion yuan ($380 million), while harboring 248 online scams groups targeting residents, according to Xinhua.
The U.S. and British governments enforced sanctions on She for his alleged criminal activities.
A 2024 report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said She "is known to have a robust company and financial investment portfolio throughout Southeast Asia, and especially Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, spanning across industries including property, building, entertainment, and blockchain innovation."
Cybercrime has thrived in Southeast Asia, where law enforcement is weak, particularly in Cambodia and Myanmar. Casinos frequently functioned as centers for online criminal activity, including rip-offs, after the COVID-19 pandemic hindered in-person gaming.
Governments throughout the world have begun to act versus the stretching industry. On Wednesday the U.S. Treasury department announced sanctions versus the leaders of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army for their function in supporting the scam centers. The ethnic militia group is linked to scam centers in Myanmar, just near Myawaddy, where She ran.
In action to Monday ´ s court judgment, a spokesperson for She's company, called Yatai New City and often Asia-Pacific New City, described a previous declaration that said "while Mr. She Zhijiang was included in the gambling market, these activities were carried out under a legally gotten license in their operating jurisdiction, and were not hidden illegal business." It stated his function "is strictly that of a designer."
She Zhijiang, an alleged transnational crime kingpin implicated by Beijing of having run prohibited online betting operations, is accompanied by cops at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand's Samut Prakarn province ahead of being extradited to China, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)