An online gambling leader has connections spanning across Southeast Asia.

Original Story by ANN

She Zhijiang, a prominent figure in the casino industry, presented himself as a charitable businessman who frequently dined with influential individuals in Cambodia. However, behind this facade, he masterminded an illegal gambling and online scam empire with connections to various individuals and companies across Southeast Asia.

She’s operations utilized blockchain technology developed by a Singapore-based firm for cryptocurrency transactions. He attracted investors from Malaysia and Myanmar and operated casinos in the Philippines and Cambodia, even though online gambling was subsequently prohibited in these countries.

The 41-year-old also had ties to an extensive network of companies worldwide, including in Britain, which was used to launder the billions he had amassed since his early days as a small-scale entrepreneur in Hunan, China. She, also known by aliases like She Kailun and Tang Kailun, was associated with scam operations in Myanmar and Cambodia, as well as human trafficking.

One of She’s companies, Yatai International Holdings, advertised well-paying jobs on Facebook during the Covid-19 pandemic, luring hundreds of young people from Asia and Africa.

However, these individuals were coerced into working in online gambling establishments and scam centers in the Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone in Myanmar.

The United States Institute of Peace stated that She was a major investor in Shwe Kokko.A report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights revealed that some individuals held against their will in these centers included Singaporeans.Originally operating an online gambling business in the Philippines targeting Chinese nationals,

She fled when the Chinese government cracked down on online gambling, which is illegal in China. Since 2020, over 130,000 people linked to 24,000 cases of cross-border gambling have been arrested in China.She, like many others in the online gambling industry, became a fugitive and relocated to Cambodia, where he acquired citizenship in 2017.

His associates and numerous Chinese nationals involved in online gambling followed suit.

In Singapore, nine out of ten suspects arrested during a nationwide anti-money laundering operation were granted Cambodian citizenship.

They obtained Cambodian citizenship between August 2018 and March 2021, according to the Cambodian government’s gazette.She was arrested in Thailand in August 2022 following an international police red notice issued by China.

He has been resisting deportation to China by claiming he is no longer a Chinese citizen.With She’s capture, authorities in Southeast Asia are gradually unraveling the extent of his network and influence.