Thailand Extradites A Suspect In Illegal Gambling Operations To China
BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand on Wednesday extradited a Chinese man desired by Beijing on suspicion of running over 200 illegal online betting operations.
A Thai appeals court on Monday approved sending She Zhijiang back to China, more than three years after his arrest in Bangkok on a 2014 warrant from Chinese police. He landed in Nanjing, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
"Chinese authorities made an ask 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 added that China assured it will elevate joint efforts with Thailand to break down on fraud centers.
She, a Chinese national thought to be 43 years of ages, also gotten Cambodian citizenship in 2017, and was active in Southeast Asian countries. He became popular after developing a complex in Myanmar ´ s Shwe Kokko city, near the Thai border, that is now well-known for online fraud activities and human trafficking.
China ´ s Ministry of Public Security said he ´ s desired for running gaming sites that have 330,000 people considering that 2017, with deals going beyond 2.7 billion yuan ($380 million), while harboring 248 online fraud groups targeting Chinese people, according to Xinhua.
The U.S. and British federal governments enforced sanctions on She for his supposed criminal activities.
A 2024 report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said She "is understood to have a robust organization and investment portfolio throughout Southeast Asia, and particularly Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, spanning across industries consisting of realty, construction, home entertainment, and blockchain innovation."
Cybercrime has thrived in Southeast Asia, where police is weak, specifically in Cambodia and Myanmar. Casinos typically functioned as centers for online criminal activity, including frauds, after the COVID-19 pandemic hampered in-person betting.
Governments across the world have started to take actions versus the stretching market. On Wednesday the U.S. Treasury department revealed sanctions against the leaders of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army for their function in supporting the rip-off centers. The ethnic militia group is linked to rip-off centers in Myanmar, just near Myawaddy, where She operated.
In response to Monday ´ s court ruling, a representative for She's business, called Yatai New City and sometimes Asia-Pacific New City, referred to a previous declaration that stated "while Mr. She Zhijiang was involved in the gambling industry, these activities were carried out under a lawfully obtained license in their operating jurisdiction, and were not concealed unlawful enterprises." It said his function "is strictly that of a designer."
She Zhijiang, an alleged transnational criminal activity kingpin implicated by Beijing of having run unlawful online gaming 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)