Thai Court Upholds Extradition of Chinese Gambling Tycoon to China After Three-Year Legal Battle

She Zhijiang, 43, a Chinese national who also holds Cambodian citizenship, was arrested in August 2022 under an Interpol Red Notice requested by Beijing. Chinese authorities accuse him of operating large-scale illegal online gambling networks.

In May 2024, a Thai criminal court approved his extradition to China, but She’s lawyers appealed, claiming the order violated Thai law. The Thai Constitutional Court later ruled that the extradition was lawful, paving the way for She’s transfer.

According to prosecutors, She will be extradited to China to face trial for running illegal casinos and founding 239 gambling websites with a total circulating capital exceeding 12.63 trillion baht ($385.65 billion). He is also accused of developing and managing two casinos in Shwe Kokko, Myanmar, allegedly luring Chinese citizens to gamble online.

She, who remains detained at Bangkok Remand Prison, has denied all charges, arguing that the case is politically motivated and based on allegations dating back to 2011, his attorney Sanya Eadjongdee told Reuters.

The Appeal Court issued its decision on November 6, officially notifying She and his legal team on Monday. Thai authorities now have 90 days to coordinate his extradition to China.

At the time of his arrest, She controlled a gambling empire centered around Shwe Kokko, a $15 billion casino, entertainment, and tourism project along the Thai-Myanmar border.

In September, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned nine companies and individuals linked to Shwe Kokko for connections to human trafficking and regional scam networks.

The border zones between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia have increasingly become hotspots for online fraud and human trafficking since the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations estimates billions of dollars in profits from the exploitation of hundreds of thousands of trafficked workers forced into these illicit operations.