Thai authorities extradited alleged transnational crime boss She Zhijiang to China on Wednesday, according to police in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Chinese government accuses She, a 43-year-old Chinese national, of operating over 200 illegal online gambling sites and using Myanmar as a base for these activities and for laundering money.
She, who also possesses a Cambodian passport, was apprehended in Thailand in August 2022 under an international warrant and an Interpol red notice issued at China’s request.
A Thai appeals court upheld the extradition order on Monday following a lengthy legal challenge from his representatives.
His lawyer described the process as “unusual” but did not provide further details, adding that She maintains his innocence.
“Criminal networks operating out of Burma are stealing billions of dollars from hardworking Americans through online scams,” said John Hurley, the U.S. undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
“These same networks traffic human beings and help fuel Burma’s brutal civil war,” he continued.
The U.S. administration will persist in using all available measures to pursue these cybercriminals and shield American families from their activities, Hurley added.
At the time of his arrest, She was in charge of a gambling business that included the $15 billion USD Shwe Kokko casino and entertainment complex in Myawaddy Township, Karen State, along the Myanmar-Thailand border.
Washington has described Shwe Kokko as “a resort city custom-built for gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution, and scams targeting people around the world.”
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned nine companies and individuals connected to Shwe Kokko in September for their association with regional trafficking and scam networks.
Shwe Kokko is one of the most notorious hubs for black market activity that have flourished along Myanmar’s border since the 2021 military coup.
On Nov. 12, the U.S. imposed financial sanctions on the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) for its role in a cyber scam operation that preys on Americans from territory that it controls in Karen State along the Thai border.
The U.S. Treasury Department stated that the new sanctions target four DKBA leaders. The measures also include entities and an individual with connections to Chinese organized crime.
