The Scam Empire: Inside Cambodia's $64 Billion Human Trafficking Network

The Scam Empire: Inside Cambodia's $64 Billion Human Trafficking Network

U.S. Hands Cambodia Its Most-Wanted List Targeting Elite-Protected Fraud Syndicates

The U.S. government just handed Cambodian authorities something more explosive than on Sept. 18. It's an updated list. Not just any list—this one names the biggest masterminds behind what investigators are calling the largest transnational fraud operation in history.

We're talking about a $64 billion global scam empire that enslaved over 200,000 people last year alone, according to documents this publication obtained via an anonymous submission.

The list identifies the most wanted key players allegedly running sophisticated "pig-butchering" fraud networks from fortified compounds. Inside these compounds? Trafficked workers get systematically tortured to meet daily scam quotas. The operations drained $10 billion from American victims in 2024. That's a 66% jump from the year before.

Here's where it gets darker. At the network's center sits an alleged protection racket involving Cambodia's most powerful families. We're talking about relatives of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to U.S. legislation, Treasury sanctions documents, and investigative reports.

The Most Wanted

Huione Group sits at the top of this list, and for good reason. On October 15, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network dropped an unprecedented ruling. They designated Huione as a "primary money laundering concern" for processing over $4 billion in illicit proceeds. Treasury officials didn't mince words. They specifically cited Hun To—cousin of Hun Sen and current Senate Vice President—as the key figure behind the operation. This marks the first time U.S. authorities have directly named a senior Cambodian official's family member in connection with these scams.

Prince Group and Chen Zhi face the most serious criminal charges. The Justice Department's October 14 indictment paints a horrifying picture. Chen allegedly orchestrated ten "forced-labor camps" with barbed-wire perimeters and armed guards. Hundreds of trafficked Indians and Africans were beaten, raped, or driven to suicide there. Federal agents seized $15 billion in Bitcoin from his operation. Chen remains at large. Prosecutors estimate his network defrauded victims of over $10 billion globally. The alleged protection? It comes from the highest levels of Cambodian government through donations to ruling party campaigns and close ties to Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Yim Leak has quite the pedigree. He's the son of former Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhay Ly and brother-in-law to National Assembly President Hun Many. Thai investigators claim his family blocked 2024 raids on BIC facilities near torture compounds. Former PM Hun Sen personally intervened. The conglomerate allegedly funnels over $100 million annually in scam cash through logistics operations to influence elections.

Yan Narong and Yan Sathya both got flagged in congressional bill H.R. 5490. They hold key positions in Hun To's business empire. Narong served as general manager alongside Hun To at Huione Life Insurance. He allegedly facilitated hundreds of millions in suspect transactions through Heng He bank for Chinese-led syndicates operating torture compounds in Sihanoukville. Sathya sits on Huione Pay's board, providing payment gateway infrastructure for scam flows. His Cambodian nationality shields him from deportation waves.

Yu Jianjun and Yu Lingxiong earned a chilling nickname. Investigators call them the "Godfathers of Rug-Pulls." They operated Entapay and Pai Coin—fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms that drained over $100 million from victims through pyramid schemes and fake mining operations. Entapay got falsely marketed as backed by the Cambodian military. It harvested data from over one million users to enable further targeting. Workers at linked compounds face gang-rape threats for defection.

Zhong Baojia operates under the alias Wang Qiang. He's a member of China's Hainan CPPCC advisory body. He allegedly runs pig-butchering syndicates where workers are chained and fed maggot-riddled rice. They're threatened with organ harvesting for missing $10,000 daily quotas. LinkedIn intelligence ties him to 9 Dynasty wallet systems used in kidnap-murder ransoms. This includes the 2025 torture-death of Filipino executive Guo Congyuan, whose family paid over $1 million via cryptocurrency.

9 Dynasty wears multiple masks. Investigators identify it as both a junket operator and e-wallet front. It launders ransom proceeds from kidnappings and operates sextortion rings using deepfake pornography for blackmail. Philippine National Police traced $500,000 in Bitcoin flows through 9 Dynasty wallets in the Guo case. Blockchain analysis revealed connections to Cambodian compounds where workers get recruited through fake job advertisements, then enslaved.

The Triad Empire

Dongmei Group might operate the network's largest single facility. Macau triad boss Wan Kuok-koi controls it. You might know him as "Broken Tooth." The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Wan in 2020. He established Cambodia headquarters after 2019 crackdowns. He found safe harbor through alleged tolerance from Hun Sen's government. The Wall Street Journal estimates his network facilitates $75 billion in global pig-butchering fraud.

At Dongmei Park in Myanmar, over 10,000 workers are enslaved. Investigators describe conditions as concentration camp-like. Witnesses documented torture chambers with acid baths and live burials for workers missing quotas. The facility maintains a 10% victim suicide rate according to investigative probes. Simultaneously, it facilitates North Korean cryptocurrency heists.

Hongmen World Cultural and Historical Association represents another Wan-founded entity. It operates as a Chinese Communist Party United Front organization that co-opts Cambodian elites. They provide "cultural" cover for scam operations. The Washington Post documented how post-sanction operations pivoted to Southeast Asian compounds. Workers are forcibly injected with drugs and subjected to 18-hour shifts. Family members get threatened for compliance. U.S. losses through Hongmen-tied scams exceeded $5 billion in 2024 alone.

Fully Light Group operates casino fronts in Myanmar's Kokang region. They launder scam proceeds through junket VIP rooms that cycle dirty cryptocurrency via fake gambling. ProPublica investigations revealed workers face rape and dismemberment for attempting escape. The Karen National Army militia provides protection for "foreigner butchering" operations. These specifically target non-Chinese victims for higher yields. The Kokang ecosystem processes over $10 billion annually. That means 50,000 victims scammed and 10,000 trafficked.

The Torture Compounds

K99 Group's Triumph City casino in Sihanoukville operates with government-approved foreign investment licenses. It houses what the UN identifies as a "flagged compound." Al Jazeera reporters embedded at the facility found thousands of workers. They'd been lured through Facebook job advertisements. Workers get subjected to electrocution and forced prostitution. They code malware for task scams that drain victims' phones. They allegedly receive protection from local police who divert raids toward competitor operations.

The systematic brutality serves a calculated purpose. It forces compliance with scam quotas. Across all listed operations, workers describe being beaten with batons and waterboarded. They're subjected to electric shocks and attacked by dogs. They're threatened with organ harvesting. Those who fail to defraud enough victims face escalating torture. Some compounds maintain crematoriums for bodies of workers who die from abuse or attempt suicide.

The Financial Architecture

Chainalysis blockchain analysis reveals these operations processed $4.4 billion in U.S. cryptocurrency scam losses in 2023 alone. The total climbed to over $10 billion in 2024. The scams follow a methodical progression. Initial contact comes via dating apps or social media. Then there's migration to encrypted messaging platforms. Months of relationship-building establish trust. Finally comes guidance toward fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platforms.

The fake exchanges display fictitious profits to encourage larger investments. Some allow small initial withdrawals to build confidence before the final "slaughter." That's when they drain victims' life savings. A typical victim loses retirement funds, home equity, or money borrowed from family members. Often they're too ashamed to report the fraud.

The Protection Racket

Cambodia's response to U.S. pressure? Investigators characterize it as "window dressing." The Ad Hoc Commission formed in February 2025 conspicuously excluded Huione from scrutiny despite the Treasury designation. Interior Ministry investigations repeatedly fizzle. Raids get blocked or diverted when they target connected operators.

The U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in China's 2025 report notes something troubling. Beijing's selective crackdowns let Chinese organized crime pivot to American targets from Southeast Asian bases. Cambodian officials allegedly share in profits through campaign donations, business partnerships, and family ties.

The State Department's 2025 Trafficking in Persons report cited "high official complicity" in Cambodia's scam ecosystem. Prime Minister Hun Manet's anti-scam commission has produced minimal results. Yet his government continues issuing licenses to sanctioned entities.

The Human Cost

Beyond the billions stolen from victims worldwide, an estimated 200,000 people remain enslaved. They're trapped in these compounds across Southeast Asia. Many are professionals—accountants, engineers, teachers. They responded to legitimate-seeming job advertisements offering good salaries in Cambodia or Myanmar. Upon arrival, their passports got seized. They faced immediate violence if they refused to participate in fraud.

The geographic scope spans Cambodia's Sihanoukville, Myanmar's Kokang and Shwe Kokko regions, Laos, and the Philippines. Workers get trafficked from India, Africa, Southeast Asia, and increasingly from China itself. Regional estimates suggest 100,000 people were trafficked into these operations in 2024 alone.

For American victims, the FBI reports pig-butchering has become the fastest-growing fraud category. Romance scams represent the primary vector. The emotional manipulation compounds the financial devastation. Scammers spend months building intimate relationships. This leaves victims emotionally shattered and financially ruined.

What Comes Next

Despite the Justice Department indictment, Treasury sanctions, and congressional legislation, Cambodian cooperation remains minimal. The listed individuals and organizations continue operating with apparent impunity. Family connections to the ruling elite shield them. So do the massive profits that allegedly flow to government coffers.

Global losses hit an estimated $64 billion in 2024. Right now, 200,000 people sit enslaved behind barbed wire. Investigators warn the network shows no signs of slowing. The U.S. most-wanted list delivered to Cambodia represents the most comprehensive action to date. But without Cambodian enforcement—or the political will to challenge the Hun family's alleged complicity—rescue for the enslaved and justice for victims appears contingent on diplomatic pressure that hasn't yet materialized.

Disclaimer: While we have authenticated the sender’s identity, we cannot independently corroborate all specific allegations contained in the letter.