PHNOM PENH: This weekend, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security reported that the "Fox Hunt" team successfully extradited five Chinese suspects from Cambodia back to China for their involvement in money laundering activities. The suspects were reportedly supporting telecom fraudsters by facilitating illegal money transfers in Cambodia, as published by China Daily on Friday, September 6.

According to the China Daily, the five suspects had recruited over 100 Chinese nationals online, promising part-time jobs and assisting them in obtaining loans in Cambodia in June 2023. The suspects allegedly engaged in illegal money transfers through telecom fraud and conducted a series of crimes, including money laundering through the purchase of digital currency.

In September 2023, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau initiated an official investigation into the suspects. To evade capture, the suspects frequently relocated within Cambodia. However, the Shanghai police, in collaboration with Cambodian law enforcement agencies through the International Police Network, shared intelligence on the suspects and requested their extradition.

In June 2024, Cambodian authorities arrested the five suspects and arranged their deportation to China on September 6. The suspects are now under further investigation by Chinese authorities.

Since 2014, China’s Ministry of Public Security has been conducting the annual "Fox Hunt" operation, which targets economic crime suspects who have fled abroad. The latest case underscores the ongoing cooperation between China and international law enforcement agencies in combating cross-border financial crimes.