Prince Group boss Chen Zhi arrested, charged with running Cambodian scam farm
Written by admin on January 9, 2026
The chairman of Cambodian business conglomerate the Prince Group has been arrested and deported to China.
Chinese national Neak Oknha Chen Zhi, whose Phnom Penh-based Prince Group has been linked to the booming Cambodian casino sector, was arrested on Monday and repatriated to China.
The 38-year-old faces charges of running multinational cyberscams, along with money laundering, human trafficking and the torture of workers. Similar enterprises, like those banned in 2024 in the Philippines, are known for luring job applicants with promises of employment, then forcing them to work in scam farms, often under threat of physical abuse.
“We arrested three Chinese nationals – Chen Zhi, Xu Jiliang and Shao Zhihui – and handed them over to China,” said Cambodia’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday. “This operation was carried out on the 6th after months of joint investigative cooperation within the scope of collaboration to combat transnational crime and at the request of Chinese authorities.”
It added that Chen Zhi’s Cambodian nationality was revoked in December by royal decree.
Zhi, Prince Group subject of international sanctions
In a joint action last October, the US and UK imposed sweeping sanctions on the Prince Group and its affiliates. They are suspected of running “pig butchering” scams that defraud consumers around the world.
In a 14 October release, the US Treasury announced the “largest action ever” against cybercriminal networks in Southeast Asia. It said the Prince Group ran “scam compounds reliant on human trafficking and modern-day slavery where industrial scale cyberfraud operations target victims around the world, including US citizens”.
“The rapid rise of transnational fraud has cost American citizens billions of dollars, with life savings wiped out in minutes,” said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Working in close coordination with federal law enforcement and international partners like the United Kingdom, Treasury will continue to lead efforts to safeguard Americans from predatory criminals.”
The US Treasury also froze US$15 billion in crypto assets from wallets reportedly owned by Zhi.
In November, South Korea followed with sanctions of it own, naming Zhi and more than 130 entities associated with the Prince Group. Cambodia’s gaming commission then suspended the licences of 14 casinos in and around Sihanoukville, some reportedly connected to the enterprise.
Last fall the Prince Group issued a statement calling the allegations “baseless”. It claimed the actions were “aimed at justifying the unlawful seizure of assets worth billions of dollars”.
Marjorie Preston
Marjorie began her gaming career in 2007 and has focused on Asian gaming markets since 2020. Outside of work, she writes about travel and film and plays the drums.
