Thailand Extradites A Suspect In Illegal Gambling Operations To China
BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand on Wednesday extradited a Chinese guy 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 official Xinhua news company.
"Chinese authorities made an ask for the suspect, who ´ s their leading priority, and asked Thailand for cooperation, which we have supported," said cops Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, chief of Thailand ´ s Central Investigation Bureau. He included that China promised it will raise collaborations with Thailand to split down on scam centers.
She, a Chinese nationwide believed to be 43 years of ages, also acquired Cambodian citizenship in 2017, and was active in Southeast Asian countries. He became popular after establishing a complex in Myanmar ´ s Shwe Kokko city, near the Thai border, that is now infamous for online rip-off activities and human trafficking.
China ´ s Ministry of Public Security stated he ´ s wanted for running gambling sites that have involved 330,000 people considering that 2017, with transactions exceeding 2.7 billion yuan ($380 million), while harboring 248 online scams groups targeting Chinese residents, according to Xinhua.
The U.S. and British federal governments imposed sanctions on She for his alleged .
A 2024 report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said She "is known to have a robust service and financial investment portfolio across Southeast Asia, and especially Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, spanning across industries consisting of property, construction, home entertainment, and blockchain technology."
Cybercrime has grown in Southeast Asia, where law enforcement is weak, especially in Cambodia and Myanmar. Casinos typically worked as centers for online criminal activity, including rip-offs, after the COVID-19 pandemic hampered in-person betting.
Governments across the world have actually begun to do something about it versus the sprawling industry. On Wednesday the U.S. Treasury department revealed sanctions versus the leaders of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army for their role in supporting the rip-off centers. The ethnic militia group is linked to scam centers in Myanmar, simply near Myawaddy, where She ran.
In action to Monday ´ s court judgment, a representative for She's business, called Yatai New City and in some cases Asia-Pacific New City, referred to a previous declaration that stated "while Mr. She Zhijiang was associated with the betting industry, these activities were performed under a lawfully acquired license in their operating jurisdiction, and were not hidden prohibited enterprises." It stated his role "is strictly that of a developer."
She Zhijiang, a supposed global crime kingpin implicated by Beijing of having actually run unlawful online gambling 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)