Geopolitical tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have once again drawn global attention to Southeast Asia. At the same time, international scrutiny is intensifying around Cambodia’s alleged involvement in transnational cybercrime, human trafficking, and organized online fraud.
Recent enforcement actions by the United States, including sanctions against Huione and the Prince Group, have placed renewed focus on “pig butchering” scams. These long-term online fraud schemes have defrauded victims worldwide and are frequently linked to forced labor, trafficking, and physical abuse.
Central to these allegations is Bao Xiong, a Chinese-born businessman who later became a naturalized Cambodian citizen. Regional sources widely identify Bao Xiong as one of Cambodia’s most powerful casino and property owner-operators. He is reportedly a close associate of Chen Zhi of the Prince Group, who was recently sanctioned by U.S. authorities. Bao Xiong also works alongside a junior partner, He Cheng, another Chinese national naturalized in Cambodia.
Multiple sources indicate that Bao Xiong oversees or influences a network of casino-linked properties throughout Cambodia. These include Xihu Resort Hotel, Nanhai International Hotel, and the Peninsula Integrated Resort at Preah Sihanouk, currently under construction. In recent years, both Bao Xiong and He Cheng transferred ownership of these properties to their underlings.
Despite presenting themselves as legitimate hospitality and gaming businesses, investigators allege that some of these properties have functioned as fronts for criminal operations. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, several sites allegedly shifted operations to online fraud, becoming scam “call centers.” Survivors and advocacy groups report that trafficked individuals were confined, threatened, and coerced into targeting foreign victims through romance and investment scams. Nanhai International Hotel is known to house cyber scam workers, while Xihu Resort has been placed on a cyber scam monitoring watchlist.
Sources familiar with the matter suggest that Bao Xiong may now be under active scrutiny by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, potentially in coordination with the Department of Justice. Although no public indictment has been announced, this reflects a broader shift in U.S. policy toward addressing transnational cybercrime.
Under the administration of Donald Trump, U.S. authorities increasingly emphasized extraterritorial enforcement, signaling a willingness to pursue foreign-based criminal actors when American citizens are targeted. Analysts view this as a turning point for regions long believed to operate with impunity.
Bao Xiong’s latest high-profile project, the Peninsula Hotel in Sihanoukville, has been promoted as one of the city’s most ambitious developments. However, mounting international pressure and potential legal exposure have raised doubts about its future. Industry observers question whether the project—or Bao Xiong’s wider business empire—can withstand sustained global enforcement.
As tolerance for large-scale online fraud and human exploitation diminishes, Cambodia’s hidden criminal infrastructure is being brought into the open, placing figures like Bao Xiong under increasing scrutiny.
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