The Man Behind the Scams: A Crime Boss's Journey Back to China

She Zhijiang, a man with ties to China, Cambodia, and Myanmar, has been sent back to China after a long legal fight. He is accused of running a big criminal network that included online scams, illegal gambling, and other serious crimes. This network operated out of a place called Yatai New City in Myanmar, near the Thai border. She Zhijiang is a major shareholder of Yatai New City, which was supposed to be a nice resort for Chinese tourists. Instead, it became a center for online fraud, casinos, drug trafficking, and prostitution. The US and UK have put sanctions on She and his company for their role in human trafficking. Authorities say Yatai tricked people from all over the world into coming to the city and then forced them to scam others online. Online scams are a big problem, especially in Southeast Asia. They have stolen billions of dollars from people around the world. In the US alone, Americans have lost over $16. 6 billion to these scams. The UN estimates that hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in these scam centers, many of them Chinese nationals. China has been trying to stop these schemes and has recently punished members of Chinese "mafia" families and rescued people trafficked to scam centers. She Zhijiang was first wanted by Chinese authorities in 2021. He was arrested in Bangkok in 2022. After a long legal battle, Thailand's Court of Appeals finally ordered his extradition to China. She's lawyer says he denies the charges and was not allowed to see his lawyers before being sent back to China. There are concerns that She could face torture, forced disappearance, or even execution in China. She's extradition comes just before the king of Thailand's planned visit to Beijing. This visit is a big deal and shows the growing relationship between the two countries.