Thailand Extradites A Suspect In Illegal Gambling Operations To China

BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand on Wednesday extradited a Chinese male wanted by Beijing on suspicion of running over 200 illegal online gaming operations.


A Thai appeals court on Monday authorized 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 main Xinhua news company.


"Chinese authorities made an ask for the suspect, who ´ s their leading concern, and asked Thailand for cooperation, which we have supported," said police Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, chief of Thailand ´ s Central Investigation Bureau. He added that it will elevate collaborations with Thailand to punish scam centers.


She, a Chinese national believed to be 43 years old, also gotten Cambodian citizenship in 2017, and was active in Southeast Asian countries. He became prominent after establishing 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 wanted for running gambling sites that have involved 330,000 individuals considering that 2017, with transactions going beyond 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 enforced sanctions on She for his supposed criminal activities.


A 2024 report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime stated She "is known to have a robust organization and financial investment portfolio across Southeast Asia, and particularly Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, spanning throughout markets including genuine estate, building, entertainment, and blockchain innovation."


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


Governments throughout the world have actually started to take actions against the stretching market. On Wednesday the U.S. Treasury department revealed sanctions against the leaders of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army for their role in supporting the rip-off centers. The ethnic militia group is connected to scam centers in Myanmar, simply near Myawaddy, where She operated.


In response to Monday ´ s court judgment, a representative for She's company, called Yatai New City and sometimes Asia-Pacific New City, described a previous statement that said "while Mr. She Zhijiang was associated with the gaming market, these activities were performed under a legally acquired license in their operating jurisdiction, and were not concealed prohibited business." It said his function "is strictly that of a designer."


She Zhijiang, an alleged transnational criminal activity kingpin accused by Beijing of having run illegal online gaming operations, is escorted by police at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand's Samut Prakarn province ahead of being extradited to China, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)