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 prohibited online betting 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 cops. He landed in Nanjing, according to the main Xinhua news company.


"Chinese authorities made an ask for the suspect, who ´ s their top concern, and asked Thailand for cooperation, which we have supported," said authorities Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, chief of Thailand ´ s Central Investigation Bureau. He added that China promised it will raise joint efforts with Thailand to punish fraud centers.


She, a thought to be 43 years of ages, likewise obtained Cambodian citizenship in 2017, and was active in Southeast Asian nations. He became prominent after developing a complex in Myanmar ´ s Shwe Kokko city, near the Thai border, that is now notorious for online rip-off activities and human trafficking.


China ´ s Ministry of Public Security stated he ´ s desired for running gambling sites that have actually included 330,000 individuals because 2017, with transactions exceeding 2.7 billion yuan ($380 million), while harboring 248 online fraud groups targeting Chinese citizens, 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 service and financial investment portfolio across Southeast Asia, and especially Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, spanning across markets consisting of realty, building and construction, entertainment, and blockchain innovation."


Cybercrime has actually flourished in Southeast Asia, where law enforcement is weak, specifically in Cambodia and Myanmar. Casinos frequently functioned as centers for online criminal activity, consisting of frauds, after the COVID-19 pandemic hindered in-person gaming.


Governments across the world have started to do something about it versus the stretching market. On Wednesday the U.S. Treasury department announced 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 fraud centers in Myanmar, just near Myawaddy, where She ran.


In action to Monday ´ s court judgment, a spokesperson for She's business, called Yatai New City and sometimes Asia-Pacific New City, described a previous statement that said "while Mr. She Zhijiang was involved in the betting market, these activities were carried out under a lawfully acquired license in their operating jurisdiction, and were not hidden prohibited enterprises." It said his function "is strictly that of a designer."


She Zhijiang, a supposed global criminal activity kingpin accused by Beijing of having run unlawful online betting operations, is escorted by authorities at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand's Samut Prakarn province ahead of being extradited to China, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)